Mohamad Abbas Zade; Bahman Ranjegargalekandy; Sahel Gasmi
Abstract
Detailed abstractIntroductionBody image is a complex concept that includes how individuals perceive, feel, and evaluate their physical appearance. This perception is influenced by a range of psychological, cultural, and social factors. In today’s world, where media, consumer culture, and Western ...
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Detailed abstractIntroductionBody image is a complex concept that includes how individuals perceive, feel, and evaluate their physical appearance. This perception is influenced by a range of psychological, cultural, and social factors. In today’s world, where media, consumer culture, and Western beauty standards are dominant, the body is not just a biological entity but a central aspect of personal and social identity. It becomes a site through which people express their values and gain social recognition. Within this context, women—and especially young, single women—experience intensified pressure to conform to idealized standards of beauty. They often find themselves balancing between personal acceptance and societal expectations that define attractiveness in narrow and often unrealistic terms. These gendered norms create psychological tension and can deeply affect their self-worth and emotional well-being. This study seeks to explore how single women understand, evaluate, and emotionally relate to their bodies. It aims to uncover the meanings they assign to their physical appearance and the social experiences that shape their body image. By focusing on the lived experiences of these women, the research provides insights into the social construction of body image and the everyday challenges women face in negotiating their sense of bodily self.MethodologyAdopting a qualitative research approach, this study utilized semi-structured interviews to delve into the innermost layers of women's experiences concerning their bodies. The participants comprised 20 single women from Tabriz, aged between 18 and 35, selected purposively based on demographic criteria such as age, education, employment status, and lived experiences of body dissatisfaction or acceptance. Tabriz was chosen as the research setting due to its unique position as a nexus of tradition and modernity, providing a rich context for analyzing the cultural, media, and ethnic influences on body image.Data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis, aiming to extract patterns and semantic themes from participants' narratives and experiences. The initial coding involved identifying core concepts, followed by comparative analysis to derive sub-themes and main themes from the data. The findings revealed a persistent tension and conflict in women's experiences with their bodies, rooted in their encounters with cultural, media, familial pressures, and prevailing beauty discourses.FindingsA prominent theme emerging from participants' narratives was the experience of beauty pressures exerted by media and society. Young women, especially those who are single, found themselves bombarded with images of idealized bodies, unrealistic beauty standards, and norms propagated through social media, advertisements, television programs, and even daily interactions. These involuntary and continuous comparisons often led to feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction with physical appearance, and diminished self-confidence. Some participants, particularly those who had experienced rejection in romantic relationships, familial judgment, or social invisibility, reported intensified dissatisfaction, sometimes resorting to cosmetic surgeries, strict dieting, or altering their dressing styles to conform to beauty norms.Contrasting this trend, another theme highlighted the redefinition of the body as a domain for agency and meaning reconstruction. Some women, especially those on a path of recovery from negative experiences, endeavored to focus on health, bodily functionality, acceptance of bodily differences, and reliance on intrinsic values, distancing themselves from the cycle of comparison and dissatisfaction. These body agents perceived the body as an integral part of personal identity, rather than a tool for attracting male attention or securing social approval. At this level, the body transformed from an object of external judgment to a space for introspection and personal control.Another significant theme was the role of singleness in amplifying bodily sensitivity and social anxiety. Participants acknowledged that being single exposed them more acutely to others' judgments. In a society where marriage remains a fundamental norm for women, single women often evaluated their bodies not only from an aesthetic perspective but also as instruments for attracting attention and potential entry into relationships. This perspective led to persistent anxiety about their bodies, efforts to align with expectations, and, in some cases, feelings of shame and self-blame.Additionally, the reflection of body image in social identity and self-concept was noteworthy. Many participants indicated that body image is an inseparable part of their social identity, playing a crucial role in shaping self-confidence, social participation, and even defining their position in daily interactions. In this sense, the body is not merely a biological element but a symbolic and identity-bearing entity through which individuals connect with the surrounding world. These findings can be interpreted through Bourdieu's theory of the body as cultural capital and feminist perspectives on the body as a field of power.Discussion and ConclusionFrom a theoretical standpoint, this study can be analyzed within the frameworks of sociological perspectives on the body, critical feminism, and contemporary reflexivity theories. According to Bourdieu's theory, the body serves as symbolic capital, reproduced through socialization processes and within fields of power. In this view, young women internalize beauty standards, adjusting their bodies to align with social expectations, often at the expense of suppressing personal desires and compromising mental health. Foucault's concept of "body surveillance and discipline" further elucidates how beauty and media discourses become tools for controlling women's bodies. These concepts are evident in participants' narratives, particularly in their experiences of constant observation, judgment, and anxiety stemming from body display.The study also reveals that women's encounters with body image are not solely psychological but are deeply rooted in social, cultural, and gendered structures. For instance, familial pressures to maintain beauty, concerns about delayed marriage, and the emphasis on appearance as a form of feminine capital underscore the intertwining of the body with patriarchal discourses prevalent in society. Nevertheless, instances of resistance, value reassessment, and movement towards body acceptance based on intrinsic criteria were evident in women's narratives, indicating the potential for individual agency against dominant social forces.In summary, body image among single women in Tabriz is a multifaceted phenomenon, intricately linked with social, cultural, economic, and psychological contexts. The body simultaneously serves as a site for reproducing social pressures and a field for resistance and meaning reconstruction. For women, particularly those who are single, the body becomes a measure of worth, social acceptance, and even cultural legitimacy, significantly impacting their mental health, self-concept, and identity. This study underscores the need to reconsider media, educational, and cultural policies regarding women's body representation, advocating for realistic portrayals, acceptance of bodily diversity, and empowering women to define their bodies independently.
Nazanin Behzadi; Jahangir Yadollahi Farsi; Abolghasem Arabiun
Abstract
Introduction:In recent years, women entrepreneurship has emerged as one of the growing phenomena in the global economy, playing a significant role in economic development, job creation, and poverty reduction. Despite these advancements, female entrepreneurs still face numerous challenges, such as limited ...
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Introduction:In recent years, women entrepreneurship has emerged as one of the growing phenomena in the global economy, playing a significant role in economic development, job creation, and poverty reduction. Despite these advancements, female entrepreneurs still face numerous challenges, such as limited access to capital, fewer networking opportunities, gender biases, and societal expectations. These challenges have created substantial barriers to the entrepreneurial success and personal growth of women. Despite the notable contribution of women to the economy, existing entrepreneurial frameworks are generally gender-neutral and fail to address the specific needs of female entrepreneurs adequately. Given the importance of gender equality as one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this study aims to design a comprehensive, theory-based framework for empowering women entrepreneurs and enhancing their professional success and personal growth. The proposed framework is specifically designed to address the unique challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and pave the way for personal excellence and business success.Methodology:This research is developmental - applied and adopts a qualitative approach. To explore the lived experiences of female entrepreneurs in-depth, narrative inquiry was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight Iranian female entrepreneurs, and the narratives were analyzed to extract concepts and patterns related to entrepreneurial success and personal growth. The data analysis process followed three stages: open, axial, and selective coding, using MAXQDA software. To ensure the validity and reliability of the data, the interview protocol was revised based on expert feedback, and the inter-rater reliability coefficient for the coding process was 0.77, indicating acceptable reliability. Participants were selected purposefully, and the interviews continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Ultimately the theoretical framework was developed by integrating the main and sub - categories.Findings:Based on the qualitative analysis of the semi-structured interviews and using open, axial, and selective coding, a conceptual framework was developed to explain entrepreneurial success and personal growth among Iranian women entrepreneurs. The findings led to the identification of six main categories. The first category, "Personal Skills and Abilities," includes four subcategories: cognitive skills (creative thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, strategic thinking, and continuous learning), communication skills (negotiation, effective customer communication, leadership, and team-building), personality traits (self-confidence, perseverance, patience, flexibility, responsibility, resilience, motivation, and the ability to balance work and life), and management skills (time management, crisis management, delegation, prioritization, and financial management). The second category, "Business Success," focuses on two essential dimensions: innovation and creativity (including innovative idea generation and continuous creative development) and business management (including financial management, the use of modern technologies, and network expansion). The third category, "Personal Growth and Excellence," refers to factors such as strengthening individual mindsets and beliefs, setting clear boundaries between work and personal life, adapting to environmental changes, and maintaining mental and physical well-being. The fourth category, "Factors Affecting Entrepreneurial Success and Personal Growth," is classified into two levels: environmental factors (access to financial resources, technology, networks, entrepreneurial culture, technical infrastructure, family and community support, legal support, and government support) and individual factors (risk-taking, passion for work, and building strong teams). The fifth category, "Outcomes of Entrepreneurial Success and Personal Growth," is identified at three levels: individual (increased self-esteem and self-confidence, improved quality of life, enhanced creativity and innovation, and strengthened leadership skills), organizational (growth and development of the business, product and service portfolio expansion, and market share increase), and social (economic growth, sustainable job creation, social development, local production, and export expansion). Finally, the sixth category, "Intervening Conditions," includes technological changes, environmental crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic), regulatory transformations, social and cultural factors, market competition, and societal attitudes, which can act as facilitating or hindering factors in the process of entrepreneurial success and personal growth. The conceptual framework developed in this study provides a comprehensive, dynamic, and multidimensional view of various aspects of entrepreneurial success and personal growth among female entrepreneurs, and it can serve as a foundation for future studies, the development of supportive policies, and the design of programs to enhance women’s entrepreneurship.ConclusionThis study aimed to design a framework for entrepreneurial success and personal growth among female entrepreneurs. The findings revealed that the success of female entrepreneurs depends not only on their personal skills but also on a range of environmental and supportive factors. This research emphasizes the importance of personal skills, including cognitive, communication, personality, and management skills, highlighting that these skills, especially in combination with personality traits like self-confidence and perseverance, play a key role in the success of female entrepreneurs. Additionally, environmental factors such as access to financial resources, legal and governmental support, and access to modern technologies significantly influence the success of women-owned businesses. The findings also underscore the importance of social and familial support in women’s entrepreneurial success, particularly in societies where social and cultural barriers exist for women. This study specifically analyzed the complex interactions between individual and environmental factors, showing that the success of women entrepreneurship is an interactive process where various factors simultaneously influence one another. Therefore, designing a comprehensive framework for entrepreneurial success and personal growth can serve as a vital tool for policymakers, consultants, and the entrepreneurs themselves. This framework not only identifies the needs and challenges faced by female entrepreneurs but also offers practical solutions to overcome these challenges and facilitate their success. Especially in societies where women face cultural, economic, and social barriers, this framework could provide strategies for improving business conditions and strengthening supportive environments. However, the study has limitations that should be considered when interpreting the results and generalizing them to other communities and cultures. One of the main limitations is the use of narrative inquiry methodology, which, due to the nature of individual experiences, may be influenced by personal biases. Therefore, it is recommended that future research combine qualitative and quantitative methods to enable comparison and generalizability of results. Furthermore, because this study focused on female entrepreneurs in Iran, the social and cultural conditions of this country may differ from those in other societies; therefore, future research could explore this framework in different communities and cultures and assess its applicability.
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