SOCIAL-CULTURAL STIGMAS AND ENCOUNTERS FACED BY ‘STILL UNMARRIED’ WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES

Abstract

Marriage is an important institution of human society that binds two humans socially, morally, and religiously. Due to recent trends and transformations in society, most women do not prefer to get married or are not eligible to get married as per various socio-cultural norms and demands. This research is focused on the issues single women face — from social unacceptability to finding accommodation to finding places to interact safely with each other which — are not being addressed by society or the state. The purpose of the study was to explore women’s experiences of being stigmatized by society as leftover and to find out sociocultural constraints faced by still unmarried women and their families. In this regard, the sample of 10 still unmarried women aged 35 and above was selected by using the snowball sampling technique for conducting in-depth interviews. For thematic analysis, it was concluded that still unmarried girls are not only facing problems by themselves but their families too are faced with various social pressures Theoretical considerations of social, economic, and demographic factors promoting delayed marriage. All this requires an identity shift to reframe single as a positive social identity which begins by raising awareness about singlism. The findings of this study may promote positive social change by raising awareness about singlism.