Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status
Abstract Afghan women immigrants exposed the multifaceted, vital, and unacknowledged roles they play within family, community, and broader society. This study aimed to explore these largely ignored multifaceted roles by analyzing their lived experiences and life stories. The qualitative research met...
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Springer
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Discover Global Society |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-025-00241-1 |
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| author | Kashif Iqbal |
| author_facet | Kashif Iqbal |
| author_sort | Kashif Iqbal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Afghan women immigrants exposed the multifaceted, vital, and unacknowledged roles they play within family, community, and broader society. This study aimed to explore these largely ignored multifaceted roles by analyzing their lived experiences and life stories. The qualitative research method was employed by conducting 19 in-depth interviews with Afghan women immigrants, reaching data saturation. Thematic narrative analysis was used to explore the lived experiences (multifaceted role) of participants and reveal recurring themes. The findings of this study revealed that Afghan women's primary responsibilities for the households are as the custodians of culture, the managers of the household, caregivers, decision-makers in the absence of male members, and the images that are extended to the new culture while integrating. They also act as sources of contribution and cohesion in the social system within the community through informal interactions and networks, thereby enhancing togetherness and resilience. In addition, they form close ties with other women and work together to provide informal support for men and serve as bridges to integrate the immigrant community with the host community. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that they are unnoticed pillars of family and community, as they manage cultural differences while playing different roles in family and community under noticeable restrictions. Migration, especially involuntary, puts them in a challenging situation of being illegal and at risk of abuse and discrimination in terms of access to services, employment, and other aspects. Despite their challenges, they established resilient, adaptive, and endowed strategies. This study adds to the growing scholarship on gender and migration by emphasizing the strength and determination of Afghan women in the diaspora and proposes measures to safeguard them while also engaging them as active members of society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1638873cb1da47ff8b3c6cf1258fcb96 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2731-9687 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Springer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Discover Global Society |
| spelling | doaj-art-1638873cb1da47ff8b3c6cf1258fcb962025-08-24T11:15:52ZengSpringerDiscover Global Society2731-96872025-08-013112410.1007/s44282-025-00241-1Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social statusKashif Iqbal0School of Public Administration, Department of Sociology, Hohai UniversityAbstract Afghan women immigrants exposed the multifaceted, vital, and unacknowledged roles they play within family, community, and broader society. This study aimed to explore these largely ignored multifaceted roles by analyzing their lived experiences and life stories. The qualitative research method was employed by conducting 19 in-depth interviews with Afghan women immigrants, reaching data saturation. Thematic narrative analysis was used to explore the lived experiences (multifaceted role) of participants and reveal recurring themes. The findings of this study revealed that Afghan women's primary responsibilities for the households are as the custodians of culture, the managers of the household, caregivers, decision-makers in the absence of male members, and the images that are extended to the new culture while integrating. They also act as sources of contribution and cohesion in the social system within the community through informal interactions and networks, thereby enhancing togetherness and resilience. In addition, they form close ties with other women and work together to provide informal support for men and serve as bridges to integrate the immigrant community with the host community. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that they are unnoticed pillars of family and community, as they manage cultural differences while playing different roles in family and community under noticeable restrictions. Migration, especially involuntary, puts them in a challenging situation of being illegal and at risk of abuse and discrimination in terms of access to services, employment, and other aspects. Despite their challenges, they established resilient, adaptive, and endowed strategies. This study adds to the growing scholarship on gender and migration by emphasizing the strength and determination of Afghan women in the diaspora and proposes measures to safeguard them while also engaging them as active members of society.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-025-00241-1Afghan women immigrantsMultifaceted roleGender roleGender and migrationImmigrants’ illegalityPrecarity |
| spellingShingle | Kashif Iqbal Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status Discover Global Society Afghan women immigrants Multifaceted role Gender role Gender and migration Immigrants’ illegality Precarity |
| title | Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status |
| title_full | Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status |
| title_fullStr | Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status |
| title_short | Multifaceted roles of Afghan women immigrants in Peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status |
| title_sort | multifaceted roles of afghan women immigrants in peshawar beyond their precarious legal and social status |
| topic | Afghan women immigrants Multifaceted role Gender role Gender and migration Immigrants’ illegality Precarity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-025-00241-1 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kashifiqbal multifacetedrolesofafghanwomenimmigrantsinpeshawarbeyondtheirprecariouslegalandsocialstatus |