Intersectional Vulnerabilities and Structural Deprivation of Housing and LAND Ownership of Divorced Women in Lahore,Pakistan
Dr. Kiran Ikram, Lecturer, Sociology, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore
Dr. Ahmed Usman, Professor of Sociology, Institute of Social and Cultural Studies, University of Punjab, Lahore
Dr. Tayyaba Sohail, Assistant Professor, Sociology, University of Home Economics, Lahore
Abstract:
Divorce brings a plethora of problems in all domains of life; however, in patriarchal societies, it becomes multiplex, particularly for women in social, emotional and financial contexts. The current study delves into the in-depth experiences of divorced women revolving around housing and land ownership deprivation. The ideal place appreciated and valued by a married woman in patriarchal societies is the four walls of her husband‘s home which is associated with honor, dignity, reward and protection. These are the symbolic appreciation of an obedient and subservient woman within marriage and family. Patriarchy has control over property and women do not have homeownership which is an institutional deprivation of the patriarchal social fabric. Based on the interpretivist paradigms the methodology of this research was purely qualitative. The recruitment of the research participants was through purposive sampling by employing 15 divorced women from Lahore. The findings of the study highlighted that house ownership is a human and social interest and it is a prerequisite of stratification in society. Women in a patriarchal society are always under threat of deprivation of land ownership, however, with the status of divorce they lose this right because of the patriarchal social norms. They bring deprivation from their broken marriages and confront more hardships in the context of land ownership in their natal families. The structural inequalities of gender, social class make them insecure, marginalized and snatch many of the basic human rights from them.
Key Words: Intersectional Vulnerabilities, Divorced Women, Land Ownership