The interplay of women’s education, empowered autonomy, marital satisfaction, and stability: a transformative perspective

This study examined the relationships among women’s education, empowered autonomy, marital satisfaction, and marital stability within a feminist theoretical framework. Using survey data from 392 educated married women in District Peshawar, Pakistan, the findings revealed significant associations between women’s education and both marital satisfaction and marital stability. Women’s education was also positively associated with empowered autonomy, which in turn showed significant relationships with both marital outcomes. Mediation analysis indicated that empowered autonomy partially mediated the relationships between education and marital satisfaction and stability, although the indirect association with satisfaction was comparatively weaker than the direct relationship. These findings position education as a multidimensional resource that enhances women’s agency, decision-making capacity, and relational resilience. By generating empirical evidence from a collectivist and underrepresented sociocultural context, this study extends empowerment theory beyond Western settings and provides policy-relevant implications for strengthening gender equity and long-term family well-being.