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The aftermath of the Syrian crisis: a glimpse of the challenging life of widowed and divorced refugee women in Jordan

Ayat J. Nashwan (Department of Sociology and Social Work, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan and is the Head of Sociology Department, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)
Lina Alzouabi (Department of English Language and Literature, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey)

Mental Health and Social Inclusion

ISSN: 2042-8308

Article publication date: 27 March 2023

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to address the social, cultural, financial and psychological obstacles these women face in preserving their living arrangements and in parenting as well as the coping mechanisms women adopt to overcome everyday challenges. Researchers used qualitative methodology and interviews to fulfill the aims.

Design/methodology/approach

Researchers used qualitative methodology and interviews to fulfill the aims. The sample consists of 20 Syrians living in Jordan’s Amman, Irbid and Al Ramtha in specially designed compounds for them (14 widows and 6 divorcees).

Findings

This study’s findings demonstrate that social and cultural norms existing in Jordan and Syria are generally similar, in which women view the males in the family as a source of socioeconomic and emotional stability for them. Widows and divorcees face serious sociocultural, financial and psychological challenges in maintaining their living conditions and the integration process as well as performing single parenting. Faith and social connections represent an important part of coping with the situation in the short term; nevertheless, financial and psychological support seems a vital component in the long term. Research on the conditions of widows and divorcees provides evidence to comprehensively approach the issue of “vulnerabilities” in the humanitarian-policy programming targeting refugees. Theoretically, the findings may provide empirical insights for discussions around women’s changing identities through displacement, agency and empowerment in relation to parenting experiences.

Originality/value

The lived experience of widowhood and divorce among Syrian is understudied, while their resilience strategies are less known. To fill these gaps, this study focuses on Syrian refugee widows and divorcees who are raising their children in specially designated compounds in Jordan and the difficulties they face on social, economic and emotional levels. Besides its originality in providing empirical material about challenges Syrian women faced, our study contributes to better understand women's claims for agency and empowerment as a part of identity changes.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all research participants who generaously shared their experiences with them.

Funding: This research received external funding from AHRC-GCR Project.

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

Institutional review board statement: All participants in the study provided their informed consent.

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Citation

Nashwan, A.J. and Alzouabi, L. (2023), "The aftermath of the Syrian crisis: a glimpse of the challenging life of widowed and divorced refugee women in Jordan", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-01-2023-0007

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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