WOMEN AND CLASS IN IRAN 1900-1978.
Item
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Title
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WOMEN AND CLASS IN IRAN 1900-1978.
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Identifier
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AAI8222980
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identifier
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8222980
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Creator
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SEDGHI, HAMIDEH.
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Contributor
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Dankwart A. Rustow
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Date
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1982
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Political Science, General
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Abstract
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By presenting for the first time much material gathered in Iran, this study attempts to elucidate an integrated analysis of class and gender relations within the context of Iran's capitalist transformation.;Why women were "emancipated" and what effects capitalism and state policies had on their subordination are the issues at the core of this study. The hypothesis is that changes in the legal position of women were reflections of their changing work (inside and outside the household) position to the extent that they facilitated the growth of dependent capitalism and sharpened class and gender inequalities. This was tested through an analysis of the division of labor by sex, class, marital status, life cycle, and ideology in urban areas and in the communications industry. The project, moreover, examined the consequences of laws on class and gender relations.;The major findings of the study are: (1) subordination of women took different forms during different periods. As such, it was more influenced by the existing form of the sexual division of labor than by cultural values. (2) Women's entry in the labor force, as a result of the rapid capitalist accumulation, marked the beginning of the double day. This meant a degree of independence for middle class women, but it also indicated a new form of subordination for working class and midle class women.;Women became crowded in the service sectors. Unlike other societies, women's labor force participation was highest among those between the ages of 20-29. Married working class women could work because of their maintenance of traditional ties. Married middle class women relied on relatives and maids to facilitate their work. Overall, as women moved into wage work, they experienced subordination: As wage laborers by capital, as women by men, and as women by women in positions of power.;(3) The subordination of women was also reinforced by the state. Laws restricting women's mobility and autonomy were liberalized and demand for women's labor increased. The laws left untouched the sexual division of labor in the household. Patriarchal relations remained but varied across class lines. The state, thus, constructed class and gender hierarchies corresponding to those developed by the economy.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Political Science
