Through a widow's eyes

Abstract

This article draws upon interviews I conducted with widows in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) after September 11, 2001. Since the late 1990s, I've interviewed some 50 widows worldwide and quickly realized that these women comprise a group of invisible millions. A majority of the interviews I conducted were in South Asia where many widows become social pariahs. The most harrowing stories I heard came from women in Pakistan's NWFP. Through the narratives of the NWFP widows, it became clear that while circumstances differed from one culture to the next, the severity of the hardships endured was most closely related to woman's level of education and her degree of isolation. However, despite the many differences, there was one common thread that wove its way through all their stories – the women's overwhelming concern for their children's well being and their commitment to provide a better future for them.