Widows’ Remarriage Problems

A Case Study of District Malakand Pakistan

Abstract

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The present study, titled “Widows’ Remarriage Problems: A Case Study of District Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan,” was carried out to evaluate various remarriage problems faced by widows on the basis of their gender, specifically focusing on Pakhtun socio-cultural norms and values. The goal of this research is to look into the problems that widows face when they remarry. The study was conducted using a quantitative approach, and data was gathered using a structured questionnaire. With the use of purposive sampling and Yamane's formula, 386 widows of all ages made up the sample size. In uni-variate analysis, data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, and a chi-square test was applied for the association of independent and dependent variables under the bi-variate analysis. The study findings disclose that widows in Pakhtun society were facing numerous problems, in which problems with remarriage are extremely common. Despite the fact that widows in Islam are allowed to get married again after their iddat period, which is four months and ten days if the widow is not conceived, or until the widow gives birth if she is conceived, but still, widows face certain socio-cultural obstacles to remarriage in Pakhtun society. Results found different factors significantly associated with widows’ problems like, widows were abstained from remarriage because society does not accept widows’ remarriage, widows do not want to remarry because they think that their children will suffer due to negligence in the second marriage, widows abstained from remarriage due to their grownup children, they do not remarry because in Pakhtun society majority of widows devote their lives for children, widows have not remarried because their children did not give proper consents, the saying that it is inauspicious for a young man to remarry a widow is/was an obstacle to widows’ remarriage and widows have not remarried because of love, loyalty and respect for late husband.