Slamat Rubeena, Bracke Piet, Ceuterick Melissa
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Political & Social Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Sociology, Ghent University, Campus-UFO, Technicum T 1, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, Ghent, B-9000, Belgium.
BMC Womens Health. 2024 Dec 31;24(1):676. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-03482-5.
Abortion is taboo in Pakistani society, and it is stigmatised throughout the country, regardless of legal permission. Despite the burdens imposed by social norms of pronatalism and motherhood, women do exercise agency to have abortions. This study explores the experiences of women who have had induced abortions and maintained their social status within the community. Goffman's dramaturgical theory (frontstage and backstage behaviours) is applied in order to document these experiences. Data were collected through 38 in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions. The results are presented according to a grounded theory approach. The results of this study indicate that women exercise agency and stage abortions as miscarriages, which are culturally more acceptable. They do this with the help of support systems comprising family members and friends. They are able to maintain their social status by navigating between what Goffman refers to as the frontstage and backstage regions of their lives. In this study, these regions are not defined by physical boundaries, but by the presence of participants and audience. Women must therefore take care to behave appropriately, especially in the frontstage region. Even when women do opt for abortion, the experience is likely to result in the psychological burden of a lifelong memory.
堕胎在巴基斯坦社会是禁忌，在全国都受到污名化，无论是否有法律许可。尽管生育主义和母性的社会规范带来了负担，但女性确实会行使自主权去堕胎。本研究探讨了接受人工流产并在社区内维持其社会地位的女性的经历。运用戈夫曼的戏剧理论（前台和后台行为）来记录这些经历。通过38次深度访谈和6次焦点小组讨论收集数据。结果根据扎根理论方法呈现。本研究结果表明，女性行使自主权，将堕胎伪装成流产，而流产在文化上更容易被接受。她们在由家庭成员和朋友组成的支持系统的帮助下做到这一点。她们通过在戈夫曼所说的生活的前台和后台区域之间周旋来维持自己的社会地位。在本研究中，这些区域不是由物理边界定义的，而是由参与者和观众的在场情况定义的。因此，女性必须注意举止得体，尤其是在前台区域。即使女性选择堕胎，这种经历也可能会导致终身记忆的心理负担。
