Women and the culture of poverty: A qualitative study of the family- leading women supported by Sari Welfare Organization

علوم اجتماعی دانشگاه فردوسی مشهد

Article 7, Volume 8, Issue 1 - Serial Number 17, September 2011   

Document Type: Scientific-Research

DOI: 10.22067/jss.v0i0.18993

Authors

Ahmad Mohamadpour^* ; Mahdi Alizadeh

Abstract

This qualitative research examines female culture of poverty among family-leading women supported by Sari Welfare Organization. To carry out the study, the theory of culture of poverty by Oscar Lewis and the hermeneutic approach of Geertz are combined to clarify the nature and aspects of culture of poverty among women. Exploiting a qualitative methodology, 28 women were interviewed in depth and the data were analyzed in a thematic way. The idea of culture of poverty which has first been coined by Oscar Lewis is a meaning-oriented subjective, normative-value system which has led to the emergence and development of a feeling of poverty among people and has fortified and reproduced their disability and poverty. The findings of this study included the general elements of the culture of poverty as low literacy, housing and so on and also explored specific elements which were labeled as female culture of poverty. These elements were: irresponsibility, disparticipaton, hiding, gender prejudice, ethnic vulnerability, re-marriage (forced or deliberate), the low risk taking. These items showed that female culture of poverty and its reproduction had different dimensions.

Keywords

Leading family women; female culture of poverty; qualitative index of culture of poverty; Sari city

References