Women's rights in the middle of Islamic law and Custom: Women's confrontation with challenges of having the right to employment and financial independence

Abstract

Jurists' opinions and the Iran official laws indicate the Legislate rights to employment and financial independence for women. However, married women's experiences show the barriers and problems that make it challenging to have these two rights. This study seeks to identify the strategies adopted by women to deal with these barriers, using the jurisprudential-legal approach and the cognitive dissonance theory Festinger while introducing the obstacles to women's right to employment and financial independence. In this study, we used a qualitative method using Wolcott's thematic analysis. Participants include employed women resident in Tehran province that were married at the time of research or have had marital experience. The sample was recruited through purposeful sampling. Then, theoretical sampling was done based on the developing concepts with maximum variety and density of categories' dimensions. Finally, interviews (n=22) ended based on criteria of theoretical-conceptual saturation.Women's Barriers and strategies in the face of violation of rights to employment and financial independence were extracted in five central themes, ''structural barriers'', ''cultural barriers'', ''role expansion '', ''role management'', and ''role escapism''.women facing these situations are forced to adopt strategies that, in addition to family relationships, also affect the social and economic system of the country.

Keywords

• woman rights
• role expansion
• role escapism
• turning away from womanhood
• returning home