A study finds infertility among married Kashmir women linked to emotional distress, marital tensions, social stigma and isolation, highlighting the need for counselling, healthcare support and greater social acceptance.
SRINAGAR: A recent University of Kashmir study based on interviews with married women has found that infertility extends beyond a medical condition, affecting women’s emotional well-being, marital relationships and social standing in a society where motherhood carries strong expectations.
According to the study, “infertility can carry consequences that extend far beyond the inability to conceive, affecting women’s emotional health, marriages and place within their families. In Kashmir, where motherhood is closely associated with womanhood and social acceptance, these pressures can leave women grappling with stigma, isolation and strained relationships.”
Titled Infertility and Womanhood in Kashmir: Exploring Stigma, Marital Strain and Coping Strategies, the research examines how childlessness shapes the lived experiences of married Kashmiri women and the ways they navigate social expectations, emotional distress and family pressures.
The study was authored by Syed Shubeena Yaqoob, Aasif Hussain Sheikh and Bilal Ahmad Lone of the Department of Sociology at the University of Kashmir, Srinagar. It was published in the International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy in June 2026.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 Muslim women aged between 28 and 40 who had been married for at least five years without conceiving, the researchers found that infertility was experienced not merely as a reproductive health concern but as a deeply personal and social struggle.
The findings highlight four interconnected dimensions of the experience: the emotional loss associated with unfulfilled motherhood, tensions within marriages and extended families, stigma and social withdrawal, and coping strategies shaped by religious faith, traditional healing practices and attitudes towards adoption.
Motherhood Expectations
The researchers found that motherhood was understood by many participants as more than a personal aspiration. It was closely tied to their sense of identity, emotional fulfilment, social recognition and expectations of married life.
In a setting where having children is often regarded as an important milestone after marriage, the inability to conceive could leave women feeling that they had failed to meet expectations imposed by their families and communities.
Several participants described persistent sadness, loneliness and a sense of incompleteness. Their accounts suggested that the distress was intensified by the belief that a woman’s standing in society was closely linked to her reproductive capacity.
One participant, identified as P10 in the study, described how seeing her nephews and nieces reminded her of her own unfulfilled desire for a child. “Every time I see my nephews and nieces, it brings me to the verge of tears because I can’t see my child among them,” she said.
Another participant described the emotional exhaustion of living with infertility and the difficulty of discussing her pain with others. The researchers argued that these experiences reflected the influence of social and cultural expectations on women’s understanding of themselves. The emotional burden was not simply a response to the absence of children but also to the anticipated future of motherhood that participants felt they had lost.
The study draws on psychologist Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development to explain how the inability to fulfil the expected role of nurturing the next generation could contribute to feelings of stagnation and diminished self-worth.
Marital Tensions
Infertility also emerged as a source of tension within marriages and extended family relationships. Participants described quarrels, emotional distance and difficulties maintaining marital harmony. In some cases, frustration over childlessness spilled into everyday disagreements, leaving couples struggling to address the underlying issue.
One participant, P11, said disagreements over minor matters had become increasingly common in her marriage. “During conflicts, we may go days without speaking to each other,” she said, adding that she sometimes retreated to her mother’s home.
The study found that the pressure to have children extended beyond the relationship between spouses. Expectations from in-laws, particularly regarding the continuation of the family line and the birth of grandchildren, could further intensify women’s distress.
Some participants reported feeling undervalued or inadequately accepted within their husbands’ households because they had not conceived.
One woman, identified as P8, described how her father-in-law’s attitude changed after she was unable to conceive, with indirect remarks making her feel that she no longer belonged in the household.
The researchers linked these experiences to gendered family structures in which a woman’s acceptance and status may become tied to her ability to bear children. They argued that infertility can therefore become a source of social disadvantage, affecting not only emotional intimacy between spouses but also women’s position within extended family networks.
Social Stigma
Stigma and withdrawal from social life emerged as another major theme. Participants described being questioned about their childlessness, feeling scrutinised during family gatherings and sensing that others viewed them differently. Even when relatives did not make direct comments, some women said they felt judged through expressions, silences and changes in social behaviour.
One participant, P14, described the shift in how people treated her after learning that she had no children. “While people may not say it outright, the way they treat you changes. They look at you differently,” she said.
Others reported avoiding weddings, family gatherings and conversations centred on children because these situations intensified feelings of discomfort and exclusion. Participant P4 said she had stopped attending weddings and social gatherings because discussions about children and their achievements made her feel out of place.
For some women, withdrawing from social interactions became a way to protect themselves from intrusive questions and emotional distress.
The researchers interpreted this behaviour through sociologist Erving Goffman’s theory of stigma, which examines how people can be socially discredited because of characteristics that others perceive negatively. In the context of infertility, the study suggests that women may internalise these judgements, becoming increasingly reluctant to disclose their experiences or participate in community life.
The authors also highlighted the gendered nature of the stigma. Although infertility can arise from male factors, female factors, a combination of both or unexplained causes, women often bear a disproportionate share of the social blame. This, they argued, reinforces the expectation that reproduction is primarily a woman’s responsibility and that her social worth depends on her ability to become a mother.
Faith and Healing
Despite the emotional distress and social pressure they described, participants developed different ways of coping with infertility. Religious faith emerged as an important source of comfort. Some women turned to prayer and spiritual devotion to manage uncertainty and find a sense of peace when medical interventions had not brought the desired outcome.
One participant, P2, described turning to prayer after years of trying to conceive and eventually giving up on treatments and medication. “After praying, I feel a slight sense of peace amidst the pain,” she said.
Other participants sought help from traditional or spiritual healers. Their experiences included wearing amulets, drinking water believed to have been blessed, performing religious practices and visiting shrines in the hope of conceiving.
One woman, P7, said she had visited several faith healers, receiving different recommendations, including amulets, animal sacrifice and prayers, but had still been unable to conceive.
The study found that these practices reflected culturally rooted ways of understanding and responding to infertility. For some women, they offered emotional reassurance and a means of coping with circumstances they felt unable to control.
However, the researchers also noted that reliance on spiritual and traditional approaches could reflect the limited social support available to women experiencing infertility.
Another coping strategy was deliberate social withdrawal. While avoiding gatherings and limiting interactions sometimes protected women from intrusive questions, it also contributed to isolation.
The authors argued that these responses should be understood within the wider social environment in which women were attempting to manage their distress, rather than simply as individual reactions to infertility.
Adoption Barriers
Adoption emerged as a possible alternative for some participants, but the researchers found that cultural expectations, family preferences and concerns about religious obligations could complicate the decision.
Some women said they had considered adoption but encountered resistance from their husbands or in-laws, who preferred a biological child to continue the family line. One participant, P18, said friends and relatives had suggested adoption, but her husband was reluctant because of religious and cultural concerns. Another participant described how her father-in-law opposed the idea, emphasising the importance of having a biological heir to carry the family name and inherit property.
The study discusses the distinction between conventional adoption, known in Islamic jurisprudence as tabanni, and kafala, a form of guardianship that allows a child to be cared for without legally replacing the child’s original lineage.
The authors suggest that concerns about lineage, inheritance and religious interpretation can influence how families view adoption as an alternative to biological parenthood. These attitudes, combined with the desire for a biological child, meant that adoption was not always considered a straightforward solution to infertility.
The findings illustrate how decisions about alternative forms of care can be shaped by a combination of personal aspirations, family expectations and religious and cultural understandings of parenthood.
Support Needed
The researchers argue that infertility should be addressed as both a medical and a psychosocial concern. While clinical treatment remains important, the study calls attention to the emotional and social difficulties that women may experience alongside their reproductive challenges.
The authors recommend integrating psychosocial counselling into reproductive healthcare, training healthcare providers to respond sensitively to infertility-related stigma, and developing community-based support networks where women can discuss their experiences without fear of judgement. They also call for public awareness initiatives to challenge the assumption that infertility is exclusively a woman’s problem.
Improving access to affordable fertility treatment and mental health support, particularly in rural areas, is another recommendation outlined in the paper. The study emphasises that addressing infertility requires attention to the social conditions in which women experience it, including gender expectations, family relationships and the stigma associated with childlessness.
The authors also suggest that future research should include the perspectives of male partners, women from different religious communities and a wider range of age groups. Such research could provide a broader understanding of how infertility affects couples and families across Kashmir.
Study Limitations
The researchers caution that the findings should be interpreted in light of the study’s scope. The research involved 20 Muslim women aged between 28 and 40 who had been married for at least five years without conceiving. It used purposive snowball sampling and qualitative interviews to explore their experiences in depth.
The study was designed to understand recurring patterns in participants’ accounts, rather than estimate how widespread particular experiences are across Kashmir. The authors acknowledge that the research did not include men’s perspectives and that its focus on a specific religious and age group limits the range of experiences represented.
