Causes of Instability and One-Term Representation of Women in Iran’s City Councils: A Case Study of Tehran Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD, Department of Political Geography, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Governance, College of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

City councils, as policymaking and oversight entities at the local level, constitute tangible expressions of democracy and serve as a connection between citizens and the state in the pursuit of good territorial governance. The instability of women’s presence in local parliaments represents a major challenge to the development of their sustained and effective political and social participation. Employing an inductive approach, this qualitative study aims to identify the factors that shape the one-term representation of women in Iran’s city councils, with a particular focus on councils in Tehran Province. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 34 experts and analyzed using thematic analysis. The factors contributing to one-term representation and the fragility of women’s political presence were ultimately classified into seven main themes, 27 sub-themes, and 159 codes. These main themes include structural and institutional barriers, cultural barriers and gendered attitudes, limited access to financial resources and political power, imperfections in coalition-building and political organization, communication deficiencies and inadequate media representation, individual and socio-biographical constraints, and challenges within the electoral system. According to the findings, the study recommends ameliorating power-distribution structures and access to resources, contesting gender stereotypes and fostering acceptance of women’s leadership, fostering women’s support networks and political coalitions, enhancing communicative capacity and citizen participation, consolidating managerial competencies and professional identity, diminishing pressures associated with dual roles through cultural and social support, and improving electoral competition mechanisms and institutional backing for women’s sustained participation, in order to reinforce the depth and durability of women’s influence in local governance.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Woman in Development & Politics
Volume 24, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 77-110

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