MissAqsa Nasar Ullah

I am a PhD candidate in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Melbourne. My research sits at the intersection of reproductive health, stigma, and cultural psychology. My doctoral work examines how religious beliefs, cultural norms, family dynamics, and digital technologies shape women’s contraceptive decision-making and reproductive autonomy. In particular, I focus on how reproductive health stigma is constructed, reproduced, and negotiated across both offline and online contexts. I am especially interested in the ways patriarchal norms, faith-based ideologies, and intergenerational family pressures constrain women’s autonomy and silence their reproductive choices. My broader research interests include mental health stigma, LGBTQ+ experiences in conservative societies, postpartum mental health, and the psychosocial processes underlying identity formation and social acceptance.