Exploring married women's economic dependency and family dynamics: a qualitative case study from Pakistan

In contexts of gender inequality, women's economic dependency is often theorized as a factor that can heighten vulnerability to intimate partner violence. This in-depth qualitative case study, grounded in feminist theory, explores the lived experiences of one multigenerational family unit to understand how economic dependency and intimate partner violence may be interconnected.

Using a purposive sampling strategy, the study draws on in-depth, semi-structured, and informant-style interviews conducted with a mother and her three daughters. This approach facilitated a nuanced exploration of personal narratives and familial perspectives within a single, richly detailed case.

The analysis highlights how constrained educational and professional pathways contributed to women's economic dependency. This dependency was experienced as interwoven with perceptions of low social status and narratives of control within intimate relationships. The findings illustrate the relational and situational processes through which economic vulnerability can shape power dynamics in the domestic sphere.

The study contributes an interpretive, process-oriented understanding of how economic dependency can be linked to coercive relational contexts. It suggests that efforts to empower women-such as supporting education and economic autonomy must be understood as part of broader structural and cultural changes needed to challenge patriarchal dominance and enhance women's safety and status.