Non-disclosure of widowhood in Nepal: Implications for women and their children

Abstract

Non-disclosure of significant or emotionally charged information can have psychological and physical health consequences. Widowhood in Nepal is highly stigmatised and therefore is a sensitive topic. This study sought to understand why and to whom women do not disclose their status as widows. Thematic content analysis of 31 in-depth interviews and 6 focus groups was conducted with primarily high-caste widows of reproductive age from the Kathmandu Valley, Surkhet, Chitwan and Kavre districts of Nepal. A codebook was developed based upon recurring concepts and applied to all transcripts using Atlas.ti. Due to discomfort or stigmatisation, many women concealed their status as widows in the community through behaviours impacting their daily lives. Non-disclosure to children was frequently described, often as a way to protect them from psychological sequelae. Concealment of widowhood is a coping strategy Nepali women use to shield themselves against societal stigma and to manage bereavement in their children. Efforts are needed to support widows in dealing with mental health issues related to disclosure and the psychosocial impact on their children.

Resilience Among Nepali Widows After the Death of a Spouse: “That Was My Past and Now I Have to See My Present”

“…An estimated 4.6% (218,040) of women of reproductive age are currently widowed (The Loomba Foundation, 2015). Young Nepali widows in particular have reported experiencing discrimination, stigma, and social restrictions on behaviors, remarriage, and sexual activity as a result of cultural beliefs placing blame on widows for their spouses' deaths (Haviland et al, 2014;The Loomba Foundation, 2015;Sabri et al, 2016;Surkan et al, 2015;Yadav, 2016). Widows are not to resume sexual relations or remarry according to Hindu traditions, based on the fear that widows' sexuality poses a threat to existing social structures (L. Bennett, 1983).…”

“…This practice reflected the status of widows and the discrimination faced by them in many Nepali communities. Although the Sati System was officially outlawed in Nepal in the 1920s (Dhungana, 2014), the continued denial of resources, both material and social, to widows has been reported to occur in conjunction with harassment, violence, and other forms of mistreatment (Haviland et al, 2014;Sabri et al, 2016;Surkan et al, 2015). Such treatment of widows occurs in the context of wider gender and cultural norms that emphasize the importance of women's submissiveness and subordination in Nepal (L. Bennett, 1983;Nightingale, 2011).…”

“…Third, there is a dearth of research on experiences of widowhood in diverse sociocultural settings in LMIC. Some research has begun to examine widowhood in LMIC like Chile, India, or Nepal (Haviland et al, 2014; Osorio-Parraguez, 2013; Perkins et al, 2016; Sabri et al, 2016; Surkan, Broaddus, Shrestha, & Thapa, 2015; Yadav, 2016) or with diverse populations such as immigrants or refugees (Lenette, 2014; Martin-Matthews, 2011), but these studies have not focused on resilient responses to the death of a spouse. Instead, they examined health issues associated with widowhood, such as barriers to receiving reproductive health care (Haviland et al, 2014), increased experiences of violence (Sabri et al, 2016), and mortality (Perkins et al, 2016) among widows.…”

“…Instead, they examined health issues associated with widowhood, such as barriers to receiving reproductive health care (Haviland et al, 2014), increased experiences of violence (Sabri et al, 2016), and mortality (Perkins et al, 2016) among widows. Others focused on widows’ perceptions of the meaning of widowhood (Osorio-Parraguez, 2013) or the larger social contexts of widowhood including widows’ experiences of social exclusion, efforts to avoid disclosure of widowhood (Lenette, 2014; Surkan et al, 2015), and resistance to social restrictions and discrimination (Yadav, 2016). Few have engaged with resilient responses to widowhood, and those that have focused exclusively on coping behaviors among widows experiencing abuse (Sabri et al, 2016).…”

“…Few have engaged with resilient responses to widowhood, and those that have focused exclusively on coping behaviors among widows experiencing abuse (Sabri et al, 2016). We aim in this article to address these three major gaps by using qualitative research to examine widows’ resilient outcomes in Nepal, a setting where widowhood is often associated with social discrimination (Haviland et al, 2014; Sabri et al, 2016; Surkan et al, 2015; Yadav, 2016) and intersects with other forms of marginalization that affect widows’ daily lives (Yadav, 2016).…”