Reasons, Impact, and Post-divorce Adjustment: Lived Experience of Divorced Women in Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT In Pakistani society family as a unit of the socio-cultural system is a primary institution for children upbringing and socialization. However, in the last few decades with the increased divorce rate in Pakistani families, the psychosocial wellbeing of women and children is badly affected. In Pakistani socio-cultural context divorce and adjustment after divorce are big issues for a woman. The present study is focused on the subjective experiences of the divorced women regarding the reasons for divorce, its impact on their lives, and later adjustment. Six divorced women with children were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. To explore their lived experiences Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used for data analysis. The emergent themes provided the reasons for divorce such as in-laws interference, lack of mutual understanding, financial exploitation, and torturous environment. The impact of divorce on women’s lives included social stigmatization, psychological pain, economic crisis, and remarriage issues. Findings also revealed the perceptions about divine accountability, matrilineal support, and the value of children as coping resources for later adjustment. The findings of the study are helpful for family counselors, educators, public and private social welfare organizations who are engaged in family-related issues.