Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Soheila Sadeghi Fasaei ¹
• Zeinab Malekipour ²

¹ PH.D of Sociology, Associate Professor of social Faculty of Tehran university

² Master of women`s studiesof Tehran university, Instructor of Payam Noor University of Ilam

Abstract

This study aimsto investigate an aspect of marital interactions, distance. By applying a
qualitative method and conducting 43 in-depth semi-structured interviews, including 22
women and 21 men, women and men experiences of distance were investigated based on their
own narratives.
The results of the study suggested different forms of distance in couples' relationships,
which can be classified to distance made bychoice, distance made byconflict, and distance
made byposition (situation). Although some forms of distance can cause dissociation in
couple's relationship, distancesmadebychoice and some other types of distance can lead to
strength in the relationship. It is notable that because of the limited sample size of this study,
its results cannot be generalized at all.

Keywords

• distance communication
• family
• gender analysis of couples' relationships
• marital interactions