Women's Studies Sociological and Psychological
Year:2013 | Volume:10 | Issue:4 (33)|Papers Count:7

The purpose of this study was the attempt to determine the relationship between the socio-cultural factors and gender identity of high school girls in educational district number two of Shiraz city. This is a survey-method research in which through a structured questionnaire the gender identity of 400 high school girls was studied. The statistical sample was randomly selected. The research employs the Choronbach Alpha for its reliability. For testing the research hypotheses the Pearson correlation coefficient was used. The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between the girls' gender identity and the existence of intimacy in the family, the individual's view on women's status in society, the degree of affection towards friends, and trust in the domestic media. The results also show that the gender identity variable is directly affected by the family intimacy variable (Beta=0.206). In total the above variable showed 10% of dependent inconsistent variant of the gender identity. In pathway analysis model, the family intimacy had the most significant impact, either directly or indirectly, on gender identity.

The present research is causal-comparison one that aims to compare sexual satisfaction, body image and quality of life in three groups: the uninfected women and women with breast cancer in two groups, surgery with mastectomy and surgery-preserving breast. The Second population included breast cancer patients that 68 of them were selected with purposive sampling method (including 43 who had undergone surgery mastectomy and 25 who were treated with surgery breast preserved). Data were collected using the questionnaires of Demographics, Quality of Life (SF-36), Multidimensional Body Image and Sexual Satisfaction (subscale Satisfaction marriage enriches). Data were analyzed using variance analysis method. It indicated that the three groups were not significantly different in variables of body image and sexual satisfaction. Nonetheless the results demonstrated that among the three groups there were significant differences in terms of quality of life variable. The use of Sheffe test indicated that quality of life in healthy women was significantly higher than the other two groups.

This study aims at investigating the factors affecting gender equity in the family. For this purpose a sample of 400 married women aged 20–40 were interviewed in the city of Bousher. The dependent variable was equity. Independent variables were: age of couples, education, income, and job status of women, birth place, and the experience of inequity. Results show that all the above variables except age and previous inequality experience have positive significant relationship with dependent variable. In regression analysis four independent variables were used in the model: woman's job status, woman's employment state, inequality experience in the father's family and the birth place. These four variables explained 41 per cent of the variance of the dependent variable.

This study examined the effects of emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT) and integrated systemic couple therapy (IST) enhancing marital adjustment in attachment injured couples. To this purpose 30 couples were randomly selected and based on their pretests were assigned in two experimental and one control groups. Research instruments were Attachment Injury Measure (AIM; Millikin, 2000), and The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1976). Nine sessions of EFT were conducted for one experiment group and eight sessions of IST were done for the other. The control group did not receive any treatment. These three groups completed post-test at the end of the experiment, and follow-up test after three months later. Results indicated that EFT and IST significantly increased marital adjustment in attachment injured couples, and the treatment effect was consistent after a three-month follow-up.

This study undertook to analyze the consequences of facilitating project on rural women in Sepidar Dehestan of Boyer-Ahmad County in Iran. Dehestan refers to a unit of settlement which is composed of a collection of rural villages. The study took the form of a causal-comparative design, and the survey method was used to collect the data. An actual village with and without the facilitating project was used as the strata. Therefore, the statistical population of the study was all rural women in villages of Sepidar in three strata: active, inactive, and the rural women in villages without the project. A multi-stage stratified random sampling was used to select rural women in each stratum. The final sample included 210 rural women in the villages. Face-to-face interviews were used to collect data with the aid of the questionnaire. The questionnaire was pre-tested and revised based on the pilot study. Findings showed that the economic situation of active rural women was better in comparison with inactive and the women in villages without the project. Similar result was found in socio-culture dimension. The results of analysis of covariance revealed the project had a significant influence on rural women with regard to the socio-economic criteria. Therefore, the economic and socio-culture status of rural women in villages with the project were improved 0.13 and 0.46 respectively.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between identity styles and religion orientation in male and female students. To do this, 162 students (76 males and 86 females) were selected using a random stratified multi-stage method among undergraduate students of Islamic Azad University, Sarab Branch. They were assessed using Berzonsky Identity Styles Inventory (ISI). (1989), all port Religion Orientation Questionnaire (1950). The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, regression analysis and MANOVA. The results showed that in male students there was a positive and significant correlation between internal religious orientation, with informational, normative identity styles and assumption of identity. Surveying the relationship between variables in female students showed that there was a positive and significant correlation between external and internal religious orientation with informational and normative identity styles and assumption of identity. There was also a negative and significant correlation between avoidant identity styles and external religious orientation. The amount of internal/external religious orientation and informational, normative identity style among women was significantly higher than that of men. Further research in the field of studied variables can provide brighter data.

Paying much attention to one's appearance and body is one of the major consequences of today's consumer society which has manifested itself in going on diets, body building, and losing weight. The present article aims to study the factors that affect this tendency among women residing in Isfahan. To do this, 340 women aged 20-42 were selected using a stratified sampling technique. Bourdieu's and Goffman's ideas along with those of Giddens and exchange theory were used to construct a theoretical framework that associated certain variables to tendency toward physical fitness. The findings showed that the mean for tendency toward physical fitness was 43.2 (expected mean was 33). The results also showed that a woman's perceptions of men's views regarding women's shapes, wanting to be liked by others, and usage of mass media were positively associated with tendency toward physical fitness. The association between satisfaction with one's body and tendency toward physical fitness was reverse. No association was found between age, and socio-economic status and tendency toward physical fitness. Regression analysis indicated that three independent variables (women's perceptions of men's views, wanting to be liked, and spouse's education) together could explain 24 percent of the variance of the dependent variable.