Volume 22, Issue 87 (2-2023)
refahj 2023, 22(87): 149-182 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Ahmadi S, Amirmazaheri A M, Saffarinia M. (2023). Narrative Analysis of culture of poverty among female heads of households in the 19th district of Tehran in 1399. refahj. 22(87), : 5 doi:10.32598/refahj.22.87.3926.1
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3917-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3917-en.html
Full-Text [PDF 602 kb]
(1044 Downloads)
| Abstract (HTML) (1924 Views)
Full-Text: (918 Views)
Introduction: In Iran, the issue of female-headed households has received more attention in recent decades. This is due to the growing population of female-headed households. According to the reports of the Statistics Center of Iran, the population of this group has increased from 1,641,044 in 2006 to 3,061,331 in the census of 2016. In view of this increasing growth, this research is aimed at a qualitative study on the quality of life of this social class. In this research, the approach is qualitative and research method is narrative analysis. The study population cmprises female-headed households living in district 19 of Tehran. The social and economic changes that have taken place in this neighborhood will usually lead to changes in the lifestyle of the residents and their perception of their situation, while the evidence suggests something else.
Method: In order to advance the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 women studied living in different neighborhoods of District 19 who were selected by cluster snowball sampling method during several sessions. After reconstructing their life story, this volume was reduced to 15 interviews. The next group of participants were selected by previous participants, social service clinics, charities or mosques. After implementing and reviewing the text of the interviews, the extracted primary codes in the hypothetical primary categories were collected and categorized under the initial themes. Then, the sub-thematic categories were examined and similar items were placed in a main thematic category, and in the final stage, the themes and sub-themes and concepts obtained from the interviews were integrated and brought in a table.
Findings: According to the preliminary results, most of the women studied are in the age range of 40-49 years with primary education level, and most of their parents were illiterate. In the final report, all activities that lead to income for the family are considered as accountable jobs. In most cases, the respondents were engaged in peddling, house cleaning, vegetables cleaning, and small, poor jobs. In order to explain the descriptive report of the experience of violence, it should be stated that most people have experienced financial problems . Most of the women studied care of 1-3 people, who are their children, and most of them grew up in families of 6-10 people. Sixty percent of those surveyed do not own a house, and divorce and the death of a spouse are the most common causes of custody by them.
Table 1. Thematic analysis of categories extracted from the texts of narrations
For more reflection, we have also considered the life background of these women before marriage. The poverty of the father's house and escaping from its hardships has been the motive of most of them for marriage, and after marriage, the effects of psychological pressures such as domestic violence, awareness of the spouse's addiction, not being accepted by their own family, sometimes sending their children to care centers due to economic problems and unbearable economic pressures have been so devastating that even years later it is difficult for the interviewees to narrate it.
Given this background, we will look at the culture of poverty of the interviewees. Qualitative narrative analysis of the interviews was categorized into four main categories: biotic erosion, social reconstruction of motherhood, rejection, poverty reproduction. The category of erosion over time in this study includes physical and psychological aspects according to the extracted items in the above table. In the field of interaction, the interactions of this class have always had a marginal and rejected quality. In terms of habitat, family interactions and even economic activity, this class is not able to communicate with powerful groups in society. An important dimension of the interaction of these women is the redefinition of their own position. This redefinition in any case is related to other women and men around them and the prevailing psychological and cultural values in society. This group, especially in the early months or years of the household heading experience, if they are relatively young or middle-aged, must act quite intelligently and cautiously in their marginal interactions (especially with men) so as not to increase their circle of rejection. In other words, the whole life of women head of households in this society is in line with the above examples. The next case of the "good woman" is strongly influenced by the totality of patriarchal values and existing definitions of the reproduction of poverty. Poverty is inadvertently reproduced by poor people and they unknowingly promote growing poverty. Multiple and contrasting roles as the last category includes those mandatory roles and responsibilities that this group must play simultaneously in accordance with the cultural environment. This action can endanger their psychological and communication structure and general health.
Discussion: Overall, the findings show that despite the difficult situation and poor quality of life of this group of women, financial aid and support from official institutions, even at low levels, along with public assistance, play an important role in their lives. Formal and informal support, in many cases, has only helped to maintain their status quo and seldom empowered them; that is, it only ensures the survival of their current status with the above-mentioned characteristics, and directing support is very effective, especially in their field of employment. Another issue is the cycle of poverty reproduction in which this group is inadvertently trapped.
Ethical considerations
Authors’ contributions:
All authors contributor in producing of the research.
Funding:
This article was written independently and no financial support was received from any organization to write it.
Conflicts of interest:
There is no conflict of interest in this article.
Follow the principles of research ethics:
In this article, has complied all rights relating to ethical point, especially the non-manipulation and distortion of data and respecting the rights of interviewees.
Method: In order to advance the research, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 women studied living in different neighborhoods of District 19 who were selected by cluster snowball sampling method during several sessions. After reconstructing their life story, this volume was reduced to 15 interviews. The next group of participants were selected by previous participants, social service clinics, charities or mosques. After implementing and reviewing the text of the interviews, the extracted primary codes in the hypothetical primary categories were collected and categorized under the initial themes. Then, the sub-thematic categories were examined and similar items were placed in a main thematic category, and in the final stage, the themes and sub-themes and concepts obtained from the interviews were integrated and brought in a table.
Findings: According to the preliminary results, most of the women studied are in the age range of 40-49 years with primary education level, and most of their parents were illiterate. In the final report, all activities that lead to income for the family are considered as accountable jobs. In most cases, the respondents were engaged in peddling, house cleaning, vegetables cleaning, and small, poor jobs. In order to explain the descriptive report of the experience of violence, it should be stated that most people have experienced financial problems . Most of the women studied care of 1-3 people, who are their children, and most of them grew up in families of 6-10 people. Sixty percent of those surveyed do not own a house, and divorce and the death of a spouse are the most common causes of custody by them.
Table 1. Thematic analysis of categories extracted from the texts of narrations
| The Main Theme | Subtheme | Basic Concepts |
| Biotic erosion | Physical problems and illness | Severe body aches, physical weakness, obesity, domestic violence leading to injury or disability, involvement with incurable diseases, involvement with spouse illness, vitamin deficiency, lack of health insurance, high costs of treatment, addiction of children |
| Ignoring personal needs |
Children the only reason for survival, disregard for personal hygiene, remarriage avoidance | |
| Inadequate nutrition |
Inability to prepare chicken and red meat, use of foods with low nutritional value, use of food from the general trash, inability to prepare fruits and vegetables. | |
| Mental and psychological conflicts |
Taking sedatives, depression after the death of the spouse, psychological pressures of economic payments, abuse of the spouse's family, suicidal ideation, thoughts of killing children, abnormal sexual intercourse by the spouse before death. | |
| social reconstruction of motherhood | Accepting a new role |
Accepting widowhood or divorce, accepting masculine roles, hiding emotions and feelings, defending one's rights in some cases |
| Maintaining chastity |
Avoiding talks to men, working in a feminine environment, not paying attention to their appearance, avoiding makeup, avoiding being seen in male gatherings | |
| Strive for sustainability |
Accepting long working hours with lower wages, not participating in protests, breaking their pride, pure destinyism, complete compulsion, surrender. | |
| Rejection | Not participating in groups |
Not being invited to the ceremonies, feeling inferior by others in interactions with these people. |
| Absence from family interactions |
Distance from family members, low interactions, family rejection, limited communication, neglect on the part of the ex-spouse's family, stigma, escape from group participation. | |
| Marginalization |
Housing with minimal facilities, very little living space, housing with shared spaces, ruined home space, | |
| Marginalization of the economy |
Sale of fruit leather, wool weaving, garbage collection, chopping vegetables for neighbors, hand-selling, housekeeping | |
| Reproduction Of Poverty | Giving importance to education |
Woman's lack of education, need for husband's permission, insecurity of the educational environment, priority of housework, insecurity on the way home to school and university. |
| Resistance to new ideas | Men are stronger, men make fewer mistakes, male coercion, | |
| Gender bias |
Coercion of a girl to marry, young age limit for marriage, complete obedience of a woman to a man, superiority of a boy over a girl, woman as ill-omened . | |
| Low risk | No risk-taking, resistance to job change, rejection of financial offers. |
Given this background, we will look at the culture of poverty of the interviewees. Qualitative narrative analysis of the interviews was categorized into four main categories: biotic erosion, social reconstruction of motherhood, rejection, poverty reproduction. The category of erosion over time in this study includes physical and psychological aspects according to the extracted items in the above table. In the field of interaction, the interactions of this class have always had a marginal and rejected quality. In terms of habitat, family interactions and even economic activity, this class is not able to communicate with powerful groups in society. An important dimension of the interaction of these women is the redefinition of their own position. This redefinition in any case is related to other women and men around them and the prevailing psychological and cultural values in society. This group, especially in the early months or years of the household heading experience, if they are relatively young or middle-aged, must act quite intelligently and cautiously in their marginal interactions (especially with men) so as not to increase their circle of rejection. In other words, the whole life of women head of households in this society is in line with the above examples. The next case of the "good woman" is strongly influenced by the totality of patriarchal values and existing definitions of the reproduction of poverty. Poverty is inadvertently reproduced by poor people and they unknowingly promote growing poverty. Multiple and contrasting roles as the last category includes those mandatory roles and responsibilities that this group must play simultaneously in accordance with the cultural environment. This action can endanger their psychological and communication structure and general health.
Discussion: Overall, the findings show that despite the difficult situation and poor quality of life of this group of women, financial aid and support from official institutions, even at low levels, along with public assistance, play an important role in their lives. Formal and informal support, in many cases, has only helped to maintain their status quo and seldom empowered them; that is, it only ensures the survival of their current status with the above-mentioned characteristics, and directing support is very effective, especially in their field of employment. Another issue is the cycle of poverty reproduction in which this group is inadvertently trapped.
Ethical considerations
Authors’ contributions:
All authors contributor in producing of the research.
Funding:
This article was written independently and no financial support was received from any organization to write it.
Conflicts of interest:
There is no conflict of interest in this article.
Follow the principles of research ethics:
In this article, has complied all rights relating to ethical point, especially the non-manipulation and distortion of data and respecting the rights of interviewees.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2021/06/23 | Accepted: 2022/06/7 | Published: 2023/02/8
Received: 2021/06/23 | Accepted: 2022/06/7 | Published: 2023/02/8
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Contact Information
Social Welfare Quarterly
Social Welfare Quarterly, Social Welfare Research Department, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Daneshjoo Blvd, Evin, Tehran, Iran, 19857-13834
Journal Tel: 02171732851
Website: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir
Email: refahj@uswr.ac.ir
