Empowering Choices: The Role of Women’s Education in Leaving Unsatisfactory Marriages

This study aimed to examine the role of women’s higher education and social empowerment in enabling them to leave undesirable marriages and reclaim personal autonomy within restrictive social settings. A quantitative survey research design was employed to gather data from a sample of 289 divorced women in Peshawar, Pakistan, all of whom had obtained marital separation through Khula (a form of divorce initiated by the wife under Islamic law) by their own will. These participants, holding at least a master’s degree, were selected using the snowball sampling technique. Data were collected using three self-developed scales measuring women’s education (independent variable), leaving unsatisfactory marriages (dependent variable), and social empowerment (mediating variable). The collected data were analysed using IBM SPSS and AMOS software for statistical precision and model testing. The results indicated a weak but statistically significant direct relationship between women’s education and their ability to leave undesirable marriages. Furthermore, social empowerment considerably mediated the relationship between women’s education and their ability to leave a dissatisfying marriage. Notably, education on its own (direct effect) had only a modest influence, but when education contributed to greater social empowerment (indirect effect), it had a much stronger impact on women’s ability to exit unsatisfactory marriages. These findings underscore the critical role of higher education and social empowerment in enhancing women’s agency, offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders committed to advancing women’s independence and rights in patriarchal societies.