Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD Candidate DEpartment of Sociology, Science and Research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 faculty member, Islamic Azad University
Abstract
In our country, the number of female-headed families has also increased. According to the 2015 census, more than 24.2 million households live in Iran, of which 12.7% are female-headed households. Earning is the most important concern of women who are heads of the household. In order to improve the empowerment of these women, structural changes, including more self-reliance, are necessary. This research seeks to find out how these women earn money after taking charge of the household?
To achieve the objectives of the research, grounded theory research method was used. In defining grounded theory approach, Strauss and Corbin say: a qualitative research method that uses a systematic set of procedures to develop a fundamental theory arising from induction about a phenomenon. To accomplish this task, in this research, 33 female heads of households in Behshahr city, most of whom were covered by the relief committee, were interviewed. The research tool was a semi-structured interview, and the participants were selected by purposive sampling, sampling was stopped when theoretical saturation was reached. Pseudonyms have been used in this study to maintain confidentiality. The minimum period of guardianship of these women was 3 years and the maximum period was 19 years. After the start of the first interview, coding and identification of concepts began to discover categories.
4- Research findings
The findings of the research show that female guardians differed due to reasons such as age, having or not having children, family support or lack of support, but playing the role of a breadwinner and earning money to support the lives of the people under guardianship is the common denominator of all of them. The main categories of the research are: a- Household headship; 2- The poverty of female guardians; 3- Loneliness of women in managing the household; 4- Making money and earning bread.
household headship
In this research, the head of the household is a woman who, for a period of time after marriage, for reasons such as death, separation, illness, drug addiction, desertion, husband's imprisonment, in addition to the roles of housewife and mother that she played before. A Kurd is responsible for taking care of the household and meeting the material and non-material needs of the family members, willingly or unwillingly.
In this research, women are placed in the position of guardians for several reasons and include the following categories:
1- Wife of deceased spouse 2- Wife separated from husband 3- Female guardian due to illness and disability of husband 4- Female guardian due to husband's addiction and irresponsibility 5- Female guardian and desertion Joint life by the husband 6- The female guardian and the prisoner's husband
Poverty of female guardians
Most of the female guardians in this research are in a difficult situation due to lack of financial support, weak support from family and government institutions, and they have many problems to provide food, clothing and basic needs of their children.
Loneliness of women in managing the household
Providing for the needs of the family alone, despite the poor mental conditions and poverty, makes them determined to endure long hours of work and sleeplessness without expecting others and to live their lives according to their abilities and minimal opportunities. to manage
Making money and earning bread.
Earning money to make a living is the most important concern of female supervisors in this research, and in order to make money, they have to do everything they can to make a living and are placed in any role.
5- Paradigm
In the stage of selective coding of the core category, "Women's understanding of femininity" was obtained, and by categorizing the categories extracted from the interviews, two paradigm models were obtained for the economic activities of women-supervisors. There are different factors behind the emergence of these phenomena, and in the examination of each one, background conditions, causal and intervening conditions, as well as strategies are mentioned.
The first paradigm: self as needing support
Women who fall into this pattern do not have good material conditions and do not have the necessary self-confidence to be independent in life. Causal factors such as illness puts women in a difficult situation of disability, having a young child deprives the mother of the opportunity to work, and the father's family's opposition to employment outside the home is another factor that causes women to depend on the family and seek support.
The perception of femininity as being delicate is an important factor that prevents women from trying to earn money. The family's expectation from the girl as a stay-at-home woman and low education are other factors in this pattern. The intervening factors of loneliness and homelessness put women in difficult mental conditions and due to the lack of job skills, they face many problems in earning money and earning bread. Family involvement in personal life is another factor in this model. The loneliness of women in managing the family makes them not have the necessary self-confidence to manage their lives, and taking risks and suppressing feminine desires are their strategies in this model. The consequence of women's seeking protection is the feeling of annihilation and lack of economic and social capital.
The second paradigm: self as an agent of change
In this paradigmatic pattern, female guardians manage to change their living conditions and follow their goals with hard work to build a new life, they have reached self-confidence and stability in their new position. Lack of dependence on the paternal family, professional skills before marriage, ambition and the motivation to progress are among the causal factors of this paradigm.
The factors of the field that cause the formation of a successful woman to change in life; Understanding femininity means a capable person, family support for women's presence in society and economic capital. They are determined to make serious changes in their lifestyle, they rely on themselves and their abilities and believe that they can change their lives. Strong desire to gain independence, emphasis on playing the role of guardian and providing for children's needs are among the interfering factors of this paradigm. Risk-taking, contentment, persistence and resistance to family interference are among their strategies for success in the role of breadwinner. Acquiring independence in life, acquiring economic and social capital, is the consequence and achievement of women who are heads of the household in this paradigm.
6- Conclusion
Understanding women's experience of themselves as women is influenced by individual, social, family and cultural factors. Factors such as independence, self-reliance and emotional support of the family, especially the father, are very important issues in facing women with problems during guardianship. These women are placed in two paradigms "self as needing support" and "self as agent of change". Women's understanding of femininity in the second paradigm leads to the ability to change their lives and succeed in their goals. On the other hand, family dependence, lack of self-confidence and family's opposition to the presence of a female head in the society are important factors in the formation of the first paradigm. Women who fall into this pattern do not have the ability to change their lives without the support of others, they are less present in groups, and their priority is to play the role of mother.
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