Family & Society

Do divorced and widowed people face different matrimonial-search challenges according to research?

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Answer

Direct answer

Research and current-status data indicate different contexts, but Pakistan has no national survey measuring matrimonial-search experiences for both groups. Divorce may bring questions about former-spouse contact, legal completion, maintenance or custody; widowhood may involve bereavement, inheritance and children’s adjustment. Both groups can face stigma and narrower proposal pools, with experiences differing sharply by gender and age. The 2023 Census counted 5.4 million currently widowed people and 499,017 currently divorced people, yet those totals say nothing about who is searching, receiving proposals or remarrying.

Evidence

Sources used

Official Statistics · 2025

National Census Report 2023

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Official census report defining marital-status categories and reporting national and provincial distributions.View source
Official Statistics · 2023

Population age 15 and above by marital status, Census 2023

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics

Census 2023, Table 6: population aged 15+ by sex, age group, marital status and rural/urban residence. Counts are census stocks, not annual marriages or divorces.

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