Urbanized Rural Women: A Study in Rural Areas of Gilan, Isfahan, and Semnan Provinces

Abstract:

Considering the changing circumstances of Iranian rural women’s lives, do they still fulfill traditional roles? Have their lifestyles and expectations of themselves changed? To answer these questions, this long-term anthropological research was conducted in seven villages in three different and diverse provinces: Gilan, Isfahan, and Semnan. Our findings showed that some female roles in the villages have been eliminated or shifted to men due to developmental interventions. Women do not consider themselves in charge of the family’s economic activities. Instead, they tend to share the values of middle-class urban homemakers. They have pushed to abandon some of their traditional economic production roles, and consequently, they have lost access to financial resources and the public arena of the village. In a sense, they might have lost their bargaining power after some developmental interventions.

Key Words:

• Iran
• rural development
• women

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the men and women in these seven villages who always welcomed us to their communities over the years. They kindly answered our questions and familiarized us with their situation.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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