Women's Studies in Iran: Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

Women's studies degree has been established in Iran as a master degree in 1380, after ten years Ph.d program was approved. The ups and downs of academic process of women's studies was required to examine its scientific status. In this regard, this paper attempts to discover the challenges and approaches of women's studies by a qualitative method and interviewing twenty experts. At next step, we analyze the data through content analysis techniques and coding all interviews. Our findings indicate that some of the challenges are as follow: unstructured academic discipline, curriculum problems and defects, non-expert and inefficient reviews, lack of qualified professors, incorrect admission, lack of scientific expertise and graduates' efficiency, lack of suitable jobs for graduates, opposite Approaches, lack of theorizing, dissemination of university-government interaction in women's studies, the inefficiency of the field in providing solutions for women's issues and its full impact from politics. The experts had some suggestions on approaches and solutions, some of them are: Specialized review of the curriculum, improve the academic structure of discipline, experienced professors, systematic admission process, interaction between university and effective institutions on women's issues and link between different intellectual schools in women studies.

Keywords

• women studies
• iran
• challenges
• solutions