Evaluation of the “Family and Youth Population Support Law” in Supporting Student Mothers: Evidence from Lived Experience in Higher Education

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

PhD in Women's Studies (Women’s Rights Orientation in Islam), Department of Women’s Studies, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The “Family and Youth Population Support Law,” as one of the macro-population policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was enacted in 2021 aimed for supporting and motivating childbearing. Yet, the practical realization of these supports in the daily lives of target groups, especially student mothers, requires evaluation based on empirical evidence. This study, employing a qualitative approach and an interpretive phenomenological method, addresses the implementation of Article 26 of this law from the perspective of the lived experience of student mothers in the academic environment and utilizes their experiences as policy evidence. Data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 22 student mothers across diverse universities and educational levels. The findings demonstrate that six main categories articulate the lived experience of student mothers: suspension of academic life in the absence of effective institutional support; financial uncertainty in the absence of sustainable policy support; care-related anxiety due to the absence of supportive academic infrastructure; heterogeneity of informal support networks with institutional requirements; experiences of stigmatization and symbolic exclusion in the academic environment; and the exhausting encounter with ambiguous, non-binding bureaucracy. The results underline that the transition from formal legislation to institutional, dignity-based, and justice-oriented implementation is an essential condition for the effectiveness of population policies in supporting student mothers and preventing the waste of human capital in the higher education system.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Alvani, S. M., & Sharifzadeh, F. (2012). Public Policy Making Process (8th Ed.). Tehran: Allameh Tabataba'i University Press. (In Persian)
Birkland, T. A. (2009). An Introduction to the Policy Process: Theories, Concepts, and Models of Public Policy Making. Routlearge Taylor & Francis Group, N.3.
Boaz, A., & Nutley, S. (2019) New development: What works now? Continuity and change in theuse of evidence to improve public policy and service delivery. Public Money & Management, 39(4), 310–316.        
https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2019.1598202
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98(2), 310–357.     
https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.98.2.310
Danaeifard, H., Shokri, Z., Kheirgoo, M., & Fani, A. A. (2015). How to Evaluate the Quality of Public Policies in Iran: An Exploratory Study Based on Mixed Methodology. Government Organizations Management, 2(22), 79-94. (In Persian)
Davis, P. (2004). Is Evidence-Based Government Possible? Fourth Annual Campbell Collaboration Colloquium. 19.
Dunn, W. N. (2018). Public policy analysis: An integrated approach (6th Ed.). Routledge.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315181226
Easton, D. (1953). The political system: An inquiry into the state of political science. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Ebrahimi, A., Danaeifard, F., Azar, A., & Forouzandeh, L. (2014). Designing an Evidence-Based Policy Making Model in Iran's Health System (A Qualitative Research). Public Management Research, 7(24), 5-24. (In Persian)
Gholipour, R., & Gholampour Ahangar, E. (2010). Public Policy Making Process in Iran. Tehran: Parliamentary Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. (In Persian)
Hassani Saadi, Z., & Sadeghi, R. (2024). Evaluation during the implementation of the Law on Family Protection and Youth Population using the social audit approach. Public Policy, 10(1), 77–92.         https://doi.org/10.22059/jppolicy.2024.97822 (In Persian)
Hill, C. J., & Lynn, L. E. (2005). Is hierarchical governance in decline? Evidence from empirical research. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15(2), 173–195.           https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mui011
Hosseinpour, D., Dharifzadeh, F., Nouri, R., & Karimian, O. (2019). Evaluating the Economic Policies Approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly Using Grounded Theory. Government Organizations Management, 7(2), 135-148. https://doi.org/10.30473/ipom.2019.42898.3367  (In Persian)
Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. Russell Sage Foundation.
Mark, M., Henry, G., & Julnes, G. (2000). Evaluation: An Integrated Framework for Understanding Guiding and Improving Policies and Programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Boss.
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363. https://doi.org/10.1086/226550
Mohammadi, P.,  Danaeifard, H., & Zolfaqarzadeh, M. M. (2018). Investigating the Implications of Critical Realism in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Evaluation. Public Administration, 3, 357-386.        https://doi.org/10.22059/jipa.2018.228753.2002 (In Persian)
Moreau, M.-P. (2012). Supporting student parents in higher education. Nuffield Foundation.
OECD. (1980). Improving governance with policy evaluation: Lessons from country experiences. OECD Publishing.
Parliamentary Research Center. (2023). Investigating the Impact of the Higher Education System on the Family Institution with an Emphasis on Educational Regulations and Welfare Services. Tehran: Parliamentary Research Center. (In Persian)
Pourezzat, A. A. (2018). Designing and Explaining a Rights-Based Policy System for Realizing Social Justice (Based on Nahj al-Balaghah). Journal of Business Strategies, 1(4), 31-56. (In Persian)
Rossi, P., Lipsey, M., & Fresman, H. (2004). Evaluation: A systematic Approach. Thousand oaks: SAGE.
Sabatier, P. A. (1994). Evaluating the advocacy coalition framework. Journal of Public Policy, 14(2), 175–203. DOI: 10.1017/s0143814x00007431
Smith, K. B., & Larimer, C. W. (2024). An Introduction to Public Policy Theory (Theoretical Clash Between Rationalists and Post-Positivists). Translated by: H. Danaeifard. Tehran: Saffar. (In Persian)
Smith, R., & Jones, A. (2024). Parenting students and indicators of financial stability. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 50(2), 123–142.
Sodagar, H., Amiri, A. N., & & Emami, S. M. (2018). Analysis and Exploration of the Concept of Public Policy: Nature, Attributes, and Purpose. Public Administration, 4(10), 506-528.      
https://doi.org/10.22059/jipa.2019.270177.2424 (In Persian)
Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.  (2005). Charter of Women’s Rights and Responsibilities. Tehran: Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. (In Persian)
Thoits, P. A. (1995). Stress, coping, and social support processes: Where are we? What next? Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36, 53–79.  
https://doi.org/10.2307/2626957
Vaezi, R., Sharifzadeh, F., & Mohammadi, M. (2017). Identification and Prioritization of Public Policy Evaluation Patterns. Iranian Journal of Management Sciences, 40, 23-40. (In Persian)
Vedung, E. (2017). Public policy and program evaluation. Routledge.
Voydanoff, P. (2005). Toward a conceptualization of perceived work-family fit and balance: A demands and resources approach. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(4), 822–836. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2005.00178.x
Woman in Development & Politics
Volume 24, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 149-181

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics