تجربه زیسته بیوگی: مطالعه‌ای پدیدارشناختی در میان زنان

The purpose of this research is to understand the meaning and description of widowhood from the perspective of women who have experienced this phenomenon due to the death of their husbands. Phenomenology was used to conduct the research. The data was collected through interviews with 5 widows in Yazd city. The findings show that women struggle with deep psychological pressures and tensions at first, and maybe they are also present in the role of mothers and the pressures and responsibilities of their children are also on them, which suddenly gives psychological shock. beside the tension and psychological injuries, these women are subjected to normative pressures and harms inflicted on them by the society and the people around them after facing the phenomenon of widowhood. After the death of their husbands, these women are in poverty. The experience of widowhood did not only bring harm and tension to these women, but also caused them to grow and saved many of them from being dependent and weak, and in each of their conversations, the theme of maturity in the crisis is represented as their common lived experience.
 
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Keywords




Widow, Widowhood, Widowenss, Women, Family
‌Introduction
Becoming a widow is a deep, unique experience. It has emotional, social, psychological, and economic effects. It means losing a companion and life partner. Awareness of this experience changes the person and those around him. This experience is common in different periods, especially for women. As a result of war, death, divorce, many women experience this phenomenon. Becoming a widow means losing the role of a wife. It is one of the most intimate and personal roles (Burke, 2014: 506). Widows make up about one third of the elderly in industrialized countries. In the U.S., over 40% of women age 65 and older are widowed. This is due to women living longer than men and being less likely to remarry. Only 13% of men are widowed. In recent years, social changes have led to more widows. Between 2005 and 2015, the population of this group of women has increased from 7.4% to 9.5% (Bluery et al., 2019: 89). Examining widowhood as a unique human experience can deepen our understanding of it. It can help us find its true nature and meaning. Many women become widows due to their husbands' deaths at a young, active age. A number of other women are heads of households (single parents). A child or children live next to these mothers. The issues of widowhood affect the child's life. Another group of these women have lost their husbands in middle age. They will face various issues. Their emotional, psychological and communication experience is different and worth considering. A detailed study of their conditions can raise society's awareness. It can also help understand the challenges they face. It examines, from the view of widows, the hidden aspects of widowhood. This research, based on the cases, seeks to answer: How do widows describe becoming a widow? What are the important dimensions of widowhood for them? What are the conditions of formation and consequences of widowhood experience for them?
Research on widowhood has focused on widows as heads of households. It has studied their social ties, happiness, and families (Mokhtari and Dehghani, 1400; Safari and Arabpour, 1400; Ahmad Nia and Qalibaf, 2016). , Falakuddin et al., 1400, Belori et al., 2019). Most articles in developing countries focus on the social harms of mothers who head households and of widows (Dobi, 2022; Sabri et al., 2021). In developed countries, the main focus is on the issues of health and welfare and insurance of these women (Adna et al., 2021). This field has not interpreted widowhood as just being a widow. It has not studied widows' experiences or understanding.
 
 
 
Methodology
The study examines and interprets women's experience of widowhood. It uses the perspective of women who have experienced widowhood. The participants were selected by purposive and homogeneous sampling method. The data gathered through in-depth interview. It continued until saturation. Participant selection provided info to answer the research questions (Maxwell, 1996). We interviewed 5 women who lost their husbands at a young age. To select the participants, we first chose two close relatives from the sample. Then, we went to three others. Some were independent and sociable. Others were isolated after becoming widows.
 
Findings
The interviews with the widows were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. First, a basic code was attached to each part of the phrase. It had a meaning related to the research's purpose. Gradually concepts and codes with similar semantic space were revealed. Then we grouped similar concepts in the form of common semantic units and gave them a more abstract code. Themes and semantic categories with common meaning form main themes or themes. Thus, the concepts were grouped into 5 main themes. They are: 1. Psychological tension. 2. Suspicion of unusual offers. 3. Economic helplessness. 4. Risky social interactions. 5. Personal development. Finally, it was recognized that all participants shared a common experience: the crisis of maturity. The next section presents each theme, along with testimonies and statements from participants. women face deep mental pressures and tensions. They may also be mothers, with the added burdens of children. He suddenly has a mental shock. These widowed women suffer tension and mental injuries. They face societal pressures and harm from those around them. These women live in economic poverty after the death of their husbands. The bioge phenomenon harmed and strained these women. Yet, it also helped them grow and made them less dependent. Their talks often touched on maturity in crisis. as their shared life experience.
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