International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research of Higher Education (IJMURHICA)
Vol 9 No 4 (2026): In progress (Theme Education, Religion Studies, Social Sciences, STEM and Economi

Primary Breadwinner Wives and Muslim Family Welfare: A Maqasid Framework

Nurul Putri Nafa (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kerinci, Indonesia)
Widiya Yul (Institut Agama Islam Negeri Kerinci, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
15 Jul 2026

Abstract

The phenomenon of wives serving as primary breadwinners has become increasingly prevalent in Muslim families due to socio-economic changes and shifting gender roles. Previous studies have generally examined this issue from legal, economic, or gender perspectives separately, while comprehensive analyses based on Maqasid al-Shariah remain limited. This article employs a qualitative method using content analysis. The data consist of scholarly literature on Islamic family law, gender studies, family well-being, and contemporary Maqasid al-Shariah discourse, which were analyzed to examine the role of wives as primary breadwinners and to formulate a conceptual model of Muslim family well-being based on Maqasid al-Shariah. The data were analyzed using content analysis through the five dimensions of Maqasid al-Shariah: protection of religion (hifz al-din), life (hifz al-nafs), intellect (hifz al-‘aql), progeny (hifz al-nasl), and wealth (hifz al-mal). The findings indicate that wives’ economic contributions can strengthen family resilience and well-being, while also creating challenges such as double burdens, psychosocial pressures, and patriarchal resistance Wives as primary breadwinners can be recognized as a legitimate form of social adaptation within Muslim families, aligning with the objectives of Maqasid al-Shariah when balance across its five dimensions is sustained; the proposed multidimensional model thus offers practical guidance for strengthening family policy, empowerment initiatives, and household resilience.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

ijmurhica

Publisher

Subject

Economics, Econometrics & Finance Education Engineering Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

An objective of the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research of Higher Education is to promote the wide dissemination of the results of systematic scholarly inquiries into the broad field of multidiscipline research. This journal is intended to be the journal for publishing articles ...