Pegah Roshanshomal; Hasan Saraie; Ardeshir Entezari; Mahmoud Moshfegh
Abstract
In recent years, many family concepts have undergone semantic changes. Since the child is the main focus of the family, parents and women's understanding of this concept will determine many decisions in the field of fertility. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the "meaning of a child" and examine ...
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In recent years, many family concepts have undergone semantic changes. Since the child is the main focus of the family, parents and women's understanding of this concept will determine many decisions in the field of fertility. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the "meaning of a child" and examine women's understanding of this concept. This research describes the actor's understanding of the meaning of a child with a qualitative approach. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with twenty married women with children and without children in Tehran by purposive sampling and analyzed by using Smith's six-step technique. The main theme of the research showed that a child is a dynamic and influential concept. In the emotional view, the themes of "good feeling," "filling the scene of life," and "hardness and sweetness" and in the supportive view, the themes of "generational support," "old age support," and "spiritual support" emerged from the findings. A child is a double-edged sword, which means that it is both an obstacle to growth and a factor for success and growth. Growth and development in the personal and marital sphere is one of the most important meanings of a child. A child is a container for filling emotions, which contributes to the stability and continuity of marriage by injecting good feelings. The findings of this study were able to present a clear picture of the meaning of a child.Keywords: Qualitative Method, Theme Analysis, Meaning, Child, Women, Tehran. IntroductionAs a result of the transition of the family after the Industrial Revolution, the form of families changed from extended to nuclear, and after that, choosing a spouse changed from an unconscious and forced state to a conscious and selective action. Accordingly, the age of marriage and after that the age of having children increased, and the family became more damaged in terms of continuity. Behind all these changes, what is important is the change of the most important function of the family, i.e. reproduction of the generation. In the necessity and importance of the issue, it is enough to pay attention to the age pyramid of the population, which is moving towards old age. What has happened in the field of reproductive behavior and leads the population towards old age is the concern of many thinkers. Therefore, focusing on the child and its meaning, in the first step, is much more important and necessary than establishing positive laws. The changes that have occurred in the field of family and fertility behavior indicate that deeper and more radical changes have occurred in the mind, i.e. the bed of meaning formation, the result of which was determined in practice.Research Question(s)What is the understanding of "child" by women in Tehran?What does a child mean from the point of view of married women?What meaning do the activists attribute to the child?What is the variety of the mental meaning of the activists of the child?Literature ReviewKarimi and Samani's findings showed that Iran has been a child-loving society and infertile people or people who do not have children for any reason are under severe pressure from the society. This causes many newlyweds to try to "be like everyone else" in order to gain social approval (Karimi 2016: 111). The results of Farahani and Kayani's research showed that the meaning of a child has changed over time. The view of today's women has changed compared to the women of previous generations. The change of meaning with the passage of time does not mean a change in the value of the child, because perhaps with the passage of time, not only the value of the child has not decreased, but a rational, perfectionist, and measured look for the decision on the time of childbearing and its number, is indicative of the value and quality of the child. So people tend to prepare the conditions in such a way that they can raise a child with better quality (Farahani 2015: 99). The findings of Hashminiya's research showed that economic components, parents' lost opportunity costs, family income, and employment status are influential in the attitude towards the child and shaping its meaning (Hasheminia 2017: 61).Kagi's research results indicate three different types of credits for children; 1. The economic value and benefit that requires the material participation of children in the family. (In childhood as a labor force and in adolescence and youth as a provider of old age security) 2. Psychological values, including happiness, pride, fun, love, hope, and companionship 3. Social and traditional values referring to the social acceptance of parents (Kagitcibasi: 2015: 374). Deir realized that happiness and personal well-being are among the meanings that parents attach to their children. Children are necessary to maintain the security of the marriage bond and create social security for parents in their old age and to preserve the lineage and name (Dyer 2007: 73). The findings of Rani and Babu's research indicated that economic, social, demographic and psychological factors are mixed with the explanation of the concept of child. In developing countries like India, economic drivers influence fertility behavior. The economic value of children includes their participation in work and creating a sense of security for parents in their old age. If children can be useful to their parents in these two areas, then having many children seems completely rational (Rani 2003).Materials and MethodsThis research, with a qualitative approach, has reconsidered the awareness of the meaning of child among married women with and without children. In choosing the questions to start the interview, along with exploratory interviews, we benefited from the meaning-oriented theories in the sociology of knowledge school, and from the child-oriented theories in the field of demography. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with 25 married women (with children and without children) in the age range of 30 to 50 years old in Tehran, with targeted sampling and with maximum diversity, and using thematic content analysis (TA), analysis and the final report was prepared.ResultsThe meaning of a child from women's points of view is the result of the interaction of cultural and social contexts in which a person is located at a certain point in time. The meaning of a child from women's points of view is the result of many factors and events. What is considered as meaning is the result of gathering a set of external and internal factors that the actor encounters throughout his life. Considering the mentioned fact and the analysis of available data, the main theme of this research is that: "A child is a conceptual combination of emotional, intellectual, individual and collective fluid elements. This cultural entity gives meaning to a mother's life and plays a significant role in the construction of personal, sexual, and adult identity and the development of activist rationality.ConclusionThere are benefits and losses in every choice made by an active community activist, and no choice is without cost. The fertility behavior of the studied women (having or not having a child) is a kind of selective and conscious action along with rationality, which is formed in the context of child perception. How women see a child in society and what position and meaning they attach to it is the turning point that makes them choose to have or not have a child. In choosing not to have children, the activist experiences both personal growth and a degree of deprivation. On the other hand, having a child can be both a factor of destruction and a factor of growth.
Ahmad Ghiasvand
Abstract
This study aimed to describe and explain the values and attitudes of women about gender behaviors in Tehran. The theoretical framework of the study has used Ajzen and his colleagues, Julian Rotter, and Chalabi's theory of behavior. The survey method has been used for research and its statistical population ...
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This study aimed to describe and explain the values and attitudes of women about gender behaviors in Tehran. The theoretical framework of the study has used Ajzen and his colleagues, Julian Rotter, and Chalabi's theory of behavior. The survey method has been used for research and its statistical population is "All girls and women of 15 years and more of Tehran in 1399". The data collection is done through the questionnaire tool and the method of sampling is multi -step sampling; According to Cochran formula, the sample size is estimated at 1200 people. According to the theoretical framework of the research, gender behaviors were considered as dependent variables and gender identity, meaning, opportunity and norms as independent variables. The findings of the study describe the attitude of marriage, the role of maternal, fertility, employment, and the tendency to educate women. Among married women the most important concern is maintaining family life; in contrast, the marriage is the least important for single girls. In the final analysis, it can be concluded that the extrabiological pattern of women's gender behaviors in the form of feminist and individualistic values and attitudes is overwhelmed by the biological pattern.
Mohammad Ali Fateminia; Sattar Parvin; Ali Asghar Darvishifard
Abstract
Gambling is one of the activities that has long been a means of human entertainment and has more or less appeared in all cultures. In general, gambling theories can be divided into two categories. One theory tries to understand the gambling process and the other is to see gambling as a social harm and ...
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Gambling is one of the activities that has long been a means of human entertainment and has more or less appeared in all cultures. In general, gambling theories can be divided into two categories. One theory tries to understand the gambling process and the other is to see gambling as a social harm and tries to identify issues related to it. This article analyzes the issue of gambling and its related social harms. The method research is qualitative (ethnography) and data were collected by interview technique. The participants included all gamblers in Harandi neighborhood in Tehran 12th district. The sample size was 30 people. Findings show that in terms of typology, gambling in Harandi neighborhood can be divided into two categories: street gambling and organized gambling. In addition, according to research findings, gambling is associated with issues such as addiction, drug trafficking, violence, family breakdown, job loss, theft, social exclusion and homelessness. Therefore, gambling should not be considered as a single social harm, but should be considered a social issue, the consequences of which are not only at the individual and family level, but also at the local social level.
Meisam Ahrabian Sadr
Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate certain theoretical approaches that as a general framework, play a central role in analyzing spatial inequality in contemporary Tehran. The aim of this work is to identify the theoretical contribution of each study in connection with other research. Understanding ...
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The objective of this study is to evaluate certain theoretical approaches that as a general framework, play a central role in analyzing spatial inequality in contemporary Tehran. The aim of this work is to identify the theoretical contribution of each study in connection with other research. Understanding the general framework of spatial inequality analysis, the potentiality of each theory could be outlined and developed. In addition, clarifying the main factors of explaining Tehran's spatial inequality and understanding their similarities and differences, it is hoped that this study could provide the possibility of epistemological and methodological reflection on these basic approaches. Hence, initially through a brief review of the sociological theories focused on explanation of spatial inequality, an overview of the main concepts and assumptions of this field of social science has been presented. After that, exploring the archive of publications on the subject, the theories and opinions of the researchers, specifically those who have investigated on Tehran, have been criticized and reviewed. Using the scope of the literature, all findings are categorized in three levels of analysis, macro, and micro and mezzo, so that based on the level of analysis, the interpreting and analyzing of each theory could be possible. The results show that are some assumptions common between all researches. At the same time, some aspects of Tehran's spatial inequality has not been, sociologically and historically, explored yet or there are more rooms for further investigations. Therefore, on basis of this study, some area of research could be suggested which could develop our understanding about rapid socio-spatial changes in Tehran.
Ahmad Ghiaysvand
Abstract
Ahmad Ghiasvand Date of Receive: 2014/10/3Date of Accept: 2015/4/7Abstract Citizenship is considered one of the most important indicators of modern society. Above all, it consists of the rights and duties of citizens, including civil, political and social. Aiming to analyze the trends and Typology of ...
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Ahmad Ghiasvand Date of Receive: 2014/10/3Date of Accept: 2015/4/7Abstract Citizenship is considered one of the most important indicators of modern society. Above all, it consists of the rights and duties of citizens, including civil, political and social. Aiming to analyze the trends and Typology of citizenships in this study, the survey among people 18 years and above were conducted in Tehran. The sampling method of "multi-stage sampling", for the validity, face and construct validity and for the reliability of the test, Cronbach’s alpha were used. Results indicate that the average of the civil rights is less than the duties of citizenship. In other words, the average score for political, social and civil rights is less than political, social and civil duties. On the other hand, according to four types of orientation towards citizenship like as active, passive, the rights and duties, four types of citizenship can be distinguished from each other: good citizenship (20 percent) obedient citizenship (40 percent), the ideal citizenship (30 percent) and apathetic citizens (10 percent). According to the findings, active-passive attitude with dominant feature of duties have the greatest impact on the development of citizenship. This causes a part of citizenship development from down to up, show itself in a revolutionary manner, and the other part of citizenship is considered forward, seeking partnerships, legal and useful for the society and state. So if many social, political and civil practices of society in different situations can be taken into account as the development of citizenship, it can be said that society of Iran faces with the dialectic of the sense of citizenship (civil society), protest (civil citizenship) and ideal (political citizenship) which brings about different opportunities and threats for the society.
