IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-05515-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of multiple stigmas on life experiences of middle-aged khwajasira: a qualitative study

Author

Listed:
  • Amna Qasim

    (Quaid-i-Azam University)

  • Humaira Jami

    (Quaid-i-Azam University)

  • Samaira Zareef

    (Quaid-i-Azam University)

Abstract

The study contributes to filling the knowledge gap regarding multiple stigmas faced by and their impact on life experiences of middle-aged khwajasira in Pakistan. An interview guide was developed to conduct in-depth biographical interviews with 10 gender nonconforming individuals of khwajasira community recruited through the snowball sampling technique. Interpretative Phenomenological analysis using narratives of the participants was conducted to uncover the underlying themes and categories. Findings revealed that khwajasira is a marginalized and stigmatized gender-based sexual minority group. Experiencing felt, enacted, social, institutional, anticipated, and internalized stigma due to their 3rd gender identity/being khwajasira, gender nonconformity to the gender roles, homosexuality, bisexuality, sex working in the community, AIDS, and age were common themes found in the study. Findings are discussed in the light of existing literature and cultural context. Implications of the findings are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Amna Qasim & Humaira Jami & Samaira Zareef, 2025. "Impact of multiple stigmas on life experiences of middle-aged khwajasira: a qualitative study," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05515-2
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05515-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-05515-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-05515-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05515-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.