A Qualitative Exploration of Experiences of Women Regarding Khula in Punjab, Pakistan

Purpose: This study captured the experiences of women who sought Khula (divorce) residing in Punjab, Pakistan. This qualitative research explored the life time experiences of women who got khula, their resilience. An interpretive approach was employed and data was collected purposefully from eighteen women taking Khula belonging to district Lahore and Faisalabad. Methodology: Qualitative research method was used to inquire the experiences of women regarding Khula and researcher used phenomenology as a research design and thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Data was collected form the participants took Khula and interview guide was used for data collection. The data was analyzed by using thematic analysis. Findings: The study found that the decision to seek Khula is often driven by severe domestic issues, including husbands' addictions to drugs or alcohol, which lead to financial neglect and violence. Women also cite infidelity and unfaithfulness, where husbands often normalize their behaviour through gender double standards and blame their wives for being suspicious. Implications: This research help to understand how government and policy makers took initiatives to aware the women to make them learn not to stay in the toxic environment and handle the stressful environment