Claiming voice in virtual spaces: identity, stigma, and support among divorced Arab women in Israel

Abstract

This study examines how divorced Arab women in Israel engage with social media as spaces for self-disclosure, coping, support, and identity expression, negotiation, and reconstruction within a context of stigma, surveillance, and restrictive gender norms. The study adopts a qualitative interview-based design, combining 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews with social media elicitation using participants’ self-selected posts. Data were analyzed using a predominantly inductive, semantic thematic analysis. Four interrelated themes were identified: online self-disclosure, online support, motivations for sharing, and online challenges. Findings show that self-disclosure is a negotiated process shaped by cultural norms, anticipated stigma, and perceived risks. Social media enables identity expression, support, and identity reconstruction while also constraining women through surveillance and stigma. Participants actively manage visibility, balancing caution with authenticity while seeking belonging and challenging dominant narratives around divorce. This study offers a culturally grounded account of how divorced Arab women in Israel use social media to negotiate identity, claim voice, and manage stigma within a context of communal surveillance and gendered social expectations.