Narrative research on the capabilities of widows receiving social cash transfer

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the capabilities of widows in Turkey who received social cash transfers after the death of their husbands in the context of Nussbaum's capabilities approach, starting from their childhood, before and after the death of their husbands. The study used a narrative design, one of the qualitative research designs. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 participants selected through snowball sampling. Thematic analysis of the data in MAXQDA 2022 program was conducted according to Nussbaum's ten basic capabilities principles. The results revealed that the participants' limited capabilities, starting from their childhood years, were transformed into multiple disadvantages during marriage, the death of the spouse, and later life processes. Becoming a “widow” at the end of such a life cycle not only led to dependency on social cash transfers in the fight against poverty, but also did not create opportunities to expand their capabilities.