Lived Experiences of Women Living with Husband’s Infidelity: A Pilot Study

Abstract

In Pakistan, some women continue their marriages after experiencing their husbands’ infidelity despite the increasing divorce rate and women’s empowerment. This qualitative study focused on how these women manage their marital relationships knowing the infidelity of their husbands. Five women were selected using the purposive sampling technique and were interviewed. Through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), three superordinate themes emerged; personal strength, surpassing the betrayal, and relational strategies. The findings indicated the posttraumatic growth in women enabled them to survive and make their marriages work by making necessary changes. The findings would be helpful to family therapists in comprehending and dealing with women experiencing this issue.