Construction of Masculinity and Domestic Violence Among Afghan Refugees: A Qualitative Study of Encamped Refugee Communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Domestic violence among Afghan refugees in Pakistan remains substantially under-studied and inadequately addressed by existing humanitarian frameworks. This qualitative study investigates the socio-cultural construction of masculinity among Afghan refugee men and its relationship to the prevalence, forms, causes, and consequences of domestic violence within encamped refugee communities in District Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Guided by Intersectionality Theory (Crenshaw, 1989, 1991), complemented by Connell’s (1995) theory of hegemonic masculinity and feminist structural analysis of gender-based violence (Dobash & Dobash, 1979; Walby, 1990), the study draws upon 36 individual in-depth interviews with Afghan refugee women and men, 15 focus group discussions (~135 participants), and 10 key informant interviews with service provider professionals. Thematic analysis following the reflexive model of Braun and Clarke (2006, 2019) was employed. The findings demonstrate that masculinity is socially constructed around five interconnected roles — provider, protector, physically strong man, emotionally enduring man, and authoritative decision-maker — each of which is both culturally embedded and structurally disrupted by displacement, producing what the study conceptualises as a masculinity crisis. Domestic violence is documented as pervasive, normalised, and structurally embedded, encompassing physical, psychological, economic, and social forms, with its causes rooted in the intersection of patriarchal social structures, economic hardship, emotional suppression, and limited education and awareness. An intersectional analysis reveals that women’s vulnerability is shaped not by gender alone but by the convergence of age, marital status, educational attainment, economic status, health, disability, physical appearance, and access to family and social networks. The study makes original contributions to the literature on refugee masculinities, gender-based violence in humanitarian settings, and the application of Intersectionality Theory to displaced communities, and carries significant implications for humanitarian policy and gender-transformative programming.