Women’s Lived Experience of Pregnancy and Child Birth: Narratives from Pakistan

Authors

Rabia Ali, International Islamic University IslamabadFollow
Ume Habiba, International Islamic University Islamabad Pakistan
Hazir Ullah, International Islamic University Islamabad Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan there are unique socio-cultural factors that contribute to women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores Pakistani women’s experiences of pregnancy and childbirth an area that remains under researched in the country. Qualitative research was employed for data collection by using an un-structured interview guide. The informants included twelve women who had recently been through the childbirth process for the first and second time. The collected data reveals that women were unaware of the use of multi vitamins during pregnancy. They delayed physical check-ups with a gynaecologist. Women encountered challenges at work during pregnancy and encountered work family conflict after childbirth. Support from intimate relations including husbands and in-laws were reported by the respondents. Attitude of colleagues at work was not always positive during pregnancy. The working women reported being overburdened at work. It is suggested that women friendly policies are required for working women giving birth. Facilities including rest rooms, medical centres need to be provided to the women at work. Women need to be educated about the importance of health care during pregnancy.

Keywords

Pregnancy, Chilbirth, Women, Pakistan, Attitude, In-Depth Interviews

Author Bio(s)

Ume Habiba is Lecturer of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at the International Islamic University Islamabad. Her research interests include sociology of terrorism, peace and conflict studies, gender, migration and sociology of health. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: habiba_malik786@hotmail.com.

Dr. Hazir Ullah is Associate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at the International Islamic University Islamabad. He is also the Chairman of the Department of Sociology and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. He specializes in Sociology of Education. Some of his research interests include gender inequalities in textbooks, discourse analysis, and gender inequalities in educational policymaking. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: hazir.ullah@iiu.edu.pk.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the women who participated in this research for their time and commitment. We would also like to thank the reviewers for their feedback on the earlier version of this paper.

Publication Date

4-1-2018

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3162

Recommended APA Citation

Ali, R., Habiba, U., & Ullah, H. (2018). Women’s Lived Experience of Pregnancy and Child Birth: Narratives from Pakistan. The Qualitative Report, 23(4), 758-773. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2018.3162