The term aguna, literally translating to "chained woman," refers to a woman who is denied a get (religious divorce) by her husband, as per Jewish law.
In Judaism, to get divorced, a woman bust be granted a get by her husband of his own free will. This has become an increasingly problematic issue due to it seemingly giving men all the power and leverage in the divorce proceedings.
Many methods have been proposed to try and make men give their wives get to prevent this from becoming an issue, but this has seen mixed results due to anything perceived as coercion invalidating the get.
Without a get, a woman becomes an aguna, since she is essentially "chained," unable to remarry.
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