‘It’s a secret in my life’: frontstage and backstage experiences of women undergoing induced abortions in a rural community of Pakistan

Abortion is taboo in Pakistani society, and it is stigmatised throughout the country, regardless of legal permission. Despite the burdens imposed by social norms of pronatalism and motherhood, women do exercise agency to have abortions. This study explores the experiences of women who have had induced abortions and maintained their social status within the community. Goffman's dramaturgical theory (frontstage and backstage behaviours) is applied in order to document these experiences. Data were collected through 38 in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions. The results are presented according to a grounded theory approach. The results of this study indicate that women exercise agency and stage abortions as miscarriages, which are culturally more acceptable. They do this with the help of support systems comprising family members and friends. They are able to maintain their social status by navigating between what Goffman refers to as the frontstage and backstage regions of their lives. In this study, these regions are not defined by physical boundaries, but by the presence of participants and audience. Women must therefore take care to behave appropriately, especially in the frontstage region. Even when women do opt for abortion, the experience is likely to result in the psychological burden of a lifelong memory.