WOMENS STUDIES
Year:2009 | Volume:7 | Issue:1 (19)|Papers Count:8

This research studies women’s employment trend versus that of men. Factors affecting the overall employment are also estimated using panel data corresponding to relevant industries. The estimation is based ontwo-digit ISIC code during 1999–2005 period. The results indicate that ‘food and beverages manufacturing’ and ‘textilesmanufacturing, ’ among industries, have employed the highest number of women. Yet the highestgrowth rate of female employeehas relatively occurred in ‘publishing, printing and reproduction of recorded media’.In the industrial sector, skilled workers have the highest employment ratio and the lowest ratio belongs to engineers and technicians.Most of the Iranian industries show a greater share of woman employment in non-productive sector, as far as the total women employment isconcerned. The lowest woman employees’ share is attributed to technician and engineering (often less than 10%). In order to evaluate effects of factors on women employment, we have considered as panel data the following: share of firms that are controlled by private management (Types of firm management: state or private), average women compensated wage, and production technology (labour intensive or capital intensive).Industries in which the majority of firms are privately managed, the women share of employment is higher. The increase in average women compensated wage in majority of the industries has caused an increase in woman employment ratio: this effect in 15 (mostly in delicate work and medium and relatively low skilled) industries and has been positive but only significant in four of them. The share of women employment among industries within which most firms use labour intensive technology has been relatively high.

In view of dual nature of some of the roles performed by women in society and with a consideration of factors threatening their mental health an attempt seems necessary to determine such factors as a contribution to planning which aims to prevent and improve mental disorders. Using a causal-comparative method, this research studies the link among different aspects of emotional intelligence and women’s general health.The relationship between emotional intelligence and general mental health was investigated in a group of womenmanagers (30). They completed the Emotional Intelligence Scale and General Mental Health Questioner. Data showed some aspects of emotional intelligence such as interpersonal skills, emotional awareness of others and flexibility was negatively associated with anxiety, depression and generally mental disorders.

This research has studied the relationship of career with job power and organizational commitment in 245 male and female personnel of research and development units of industrial companies. Career orientation was measured by Schein’s Career Anchors Inventory-Short Form. To measure organizational commitment and job power, Balfour and Wechsler’s Organizational Commitment Scale and Nixon’s Job Power Scale were applied, respectively.The results showed that the highest means were related to job security, lifestyle and service orientations. Considering the relationships among variables, job power showed significant relationships with managerial, pure challenge and entrepreneurship orientations. Correlations among different types of organizational commitments and job power were significant. In all career orientations there were significant differences between males and females. Females had higher means in job security, lifestyle and service orientations. Based on the research findings, it has been suggested that a dual career planning may be considered for both sexes from the early stage of employment. Therefore from the beginning, a dual planning from technical and managerial careers point is considered for each individual employee in the organization.

Current investigation is about gender socialization process, as a basis for the women body image. The purpose of this study is creation of grounded theory about role of childhood socialization in family on women body image.Body image is used as perceptions and emotions that people have about body and appearance of self that have two dimensions include: Body image investment and body image evaluation. Thus how muchemphasis they put on body and appearance in social and individual life, has an essential role in women position toward development of a trend in society. Body image is influenced by different factors, but this research has focused on the role of childhood socialization.Research method is qualitative and strategic which uses the analytic method of grounded theory. This research used purposeful sampling and interviews were conducted with 20 women within 18–32 years of age who had experienced rhinoplasty surgery in Shirāz.The results, which are based on depth interview, are indicative of three categories of behavioural patterns of: contemptuous, gender difference and gender discriminatory. These have been elicited as causal conditions. In addition, one core category was also derived which was named ‘appearance-based gender socialization’.

This research aims to investigate working women’s attitude toward participation in decision making process at Karaj education organization. The core objective of the research lies in knowledge, information access, power and reward factors to promote and persuade women toward participation activities in a seven-stage decision making process. Among 137 women who are working in various staff departments of the organization, 80 of them were selected randomly.The results of the research demonstrate that the rate of organizational readiness in light of women’s knowledge for participating in decision making process is available, but in view of power and reward, the readiness of this samplesociety is low. In addition, women with higher knowledge could be effectively participated in implementing decisions, through gaining access to further information in selecting an optimal solution, with further power in evaluating alternatives, as well as by receiving a further rate of reward that could be effective and useful in persuading participation at the stage of diagnosis of problems. It is suggested that further participation should be offered to women with higher knowledge in decision making process. Particularly, at the stage of decision implementation in an educational system and to provide necessary facilities for their acquiring further knowledge. Through delegation of authority, power sharing, note to materialistic and abstractive rewards as well as dissemination of information in all organizational levels could be provided further possibility of participation for women in decision making process. This point has also been mentioned in the fourth economic plan act. Thus in-depth assessment of these policies aiming at formulating women’s participation policy is recommended in the fifth economic, social and cultural development act.

The purpose of this study was to determine predictability of the quality of life on the basis of perceived job difficulty.Participants were 113 nurses (95 women and 18 men) who were selected from two hospitals inShiraz. Participants completed a researcher-made questionnaire to measure job difficulty and World Health Organization Quality Of Life scale (WHOQOL). Using Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient, the reliability of measures was computed, and Factor Analysis procedure was used for validation.Results showed that psychological health and environment (as two domains of quality of life) can be significantly predicted on the basis of perceived job difficulty. But, years of service cannot significantly predict quality of life, and its domains, as a whole.The nurses that perceived higher job difficulty reported lower mental health and they had negative perception about their environments. Findings are discussed in the light of previous literature and some suggestions for further researches are set forth.

Whilemuchresearch has been conducted on work-family conflict, family-work-conflict, contexts, outcomes and effectsof conflict on members of society and organizations, little research has been done to study the effect of work-family andfamily-work conflict management on career and family life. Thus the aim of this research is to survey the effect of work-family and family-work conflict management training on decrease of such conflicts in female workers residing in Esfahān. Research was quasi-experimentally designed with a control group. The sample research consists of 62 worker females from EsfahānUniversity that were selected randomly and have been randomized between experiment group (31 members) and control group (31 members). At the start of the research, work-family and family-work conflict between experiment and control group was examined. Data collected byNetemeyer’s "Work-Family Conflict and Family-Work Conflict Scales," were analyzed usingthe SPSS. Withinsix meetings, work-family and family-work conflict management training program was conducted in experiment group and in the end of training program, work-family and family-work conflicts have been examinedagain. Result showed that there is meaningful difference between two groups in the field of work-family and family-work conflicts. Therefore, work-family conflict and family-work conflict management training program’s role on decreasing work-family conflict and family-workconflict wasshown to be effective.