Document Type : Research/Original/Regular

Authors

• Akbar Talebpour ¹
• Masoumeh Beiranvand ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Economics, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

² MA in, Social Sciences, Ayatollah Ozma Borujerdi University, Lorestan, Iran

Abstract

Definite celibacy refers to a situation in which girls fail to marry until 45 years old and are prevented from starting a family. This phenomenon has many social and individual consequences, including; Reduction in the number of births, reduction in population growth rate, lack of generational replacement, loneliness, etc., which need serious consideration and attention. Therefore, the present study uses qualitative content analysis to investigate the consequences of definite celibacy based on the lived experience of these girls. Participants were 23 definite single girls who were selected using purposive sampling. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA2020 software. In order to validate the data, review of studies and techniques of obtaining parallel information and trinity, data analysis was presented and to obtain reliability, Kappa agreement coefficient was used, which was confirmed with a reliability value of 0.78. The research results showed; Definite abstraction leads to unintended consequences that cause many problems for the society as a whole and for the individuals of the target society in particular. The main themes of definite celibacy consequences were abandonment of the thought of marriage, vulnerability to loneliness, eloquence of past regrets, the stigma of celibacy and social helplessness. Each of these consequences can be considered as a social harm; Therefore, the need for appropriate social policy to reduce definite celibacy is felt more than ever.

Highlights

Background & Purpose

Refusal to marry causes population imbalance, low fertility, abnormal behavior, disenfranchisement, increased social harm, loss of opportunities, and physical and psychological consequences. The study of internal and external studies in the field of definitive celibacy has shown different and sometimes different views in this field;

Zarean (1397) showed; Singles divide single life into harmful and enjoyable forms, and the enjoyable form of single life is one of the reasons in delaying marriage (zarean; 2018: 99).Modarresi Yazdi et al. (2017) in examining the causes of social isolation of single girls showed; The social isolation of single girls is relatively high (Modarresi et al; 2017: 133-137).Hosseini and Izadi (2016) found; Despite the differences in the causes of celibacy (voluntary and involuntary), most definite persons of celibacy have dual feelings of celibacy; on the one hand, they are satisfied with the independence and freedom resulting from celibacy; On the other hand, they feel lonely and advise others to get married (Hosseini et al; 2016: 55-63).

Chaboki (2016) has identified three central categories: an idealistic view of marriage, a change in view of girls' position in the family, and social conditions that reduce the attraction of marriage are among the reasons for the spread of definite celibacy (Chaboki; 2016: 102-119).

Awosan and Hardy (2017) showed that there are different about development and perpetuation of romantic relationships and definite celibacy that are related to the social, historical and cultural contexts of individuals (Awosan &Hardy; 2017: 463-469).

Adamczyk ​​(2016) considers the promotion of individual lifestyle and new demographic pattern as effective factors in reducing marriage. According to him, while traditional norms forced people in society, especially girls, to marry, but new norms do not impose them to marry (Adamczyk; 2016: 22-24).

Yu (2016) showed; The pattern of delayed marriage is increasing in South Korea among those born after 1970 who turned 45 in 2016 (Yoo; 2016: 1045-1075). Ntoimo and Abanieh (2014) found; Economic independence and empowerment, individual preferences of spouse choice, family factors, cultural beliefs and higher education have been factors in girls' reluctance to marry in Nigeria (Ntoimo& Abanihe; 2014: 390-395).

Given the aforementioned effects of definite celibacy, as well as the different reasons for this phenomenon from the perspective of many researchers, it seems that examining the consequences of this phenomenon from the perspective of experienced people as people who have qualified themselves, can be in charge of reduce regular injuries and prevent overgrowth.

Method

The present study was conducted by using a qualitative method and qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Qualitative content analysis is the same as content analysis or in fact theme analysis (Neondorf; 2016: 78). The respondents were 23 single girls over 45 years who were selected using purposive sampling. In the data analysis process, the method of inductive qualitative content analysis was considered. Coding and analysis of research data was performed in the platform of MAXQDA2020 software. Kappa agreement coefficient was used to calculate the reliability and for the validity of the research, review of studies, parallel data acquisition technique and data analysis were used. In addition, members' validation technique was used to validate the research findings.

Results

The consequences of celibacy were definite in the form of the following;

Giving up the idea of ​​marriage: Increasing the age of marriage is the kind that has left girls with despair and abandonment of marriage.

Vulnerability to loneliness: Lack of security, fear of the coming years, premature physical incapacity, feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction were some of the obvious examples of loneliness.

 The rhetoric of past regrets: the regret of lost opportunities, the loss of the opportunity to become a mother, the feeling of being overwhelmed, etc. were the regrets of single girls.

The stigma of celibacy: Attributing objections and obscene labels like a furry girl, along with the sarcasm and ridicule of those around you, leads to the stigma of celibacy.

Social helplessness: Single girls experience more discrimination than single boys, which leads to girls' social helplessness.

Conclusion

           Although the phenomenon of definite celibacy arises from different contextual, causal and structural conditions and contexts that may have differences among girls, but this phenomenon has the same consequences for individuals in the target community. The results of the study showed; Abandoning the thought of marriage, the vulnerability of loneliness, the rhetoric of past regrets, the stigma of celibacy and social helplessness as definite consequences of celibacy can cause frustration, feelings of weakness and helplessness for singles, and spread general depression and anxiety in society. Considering the field observations of researchers and the results of previous domestic and foreign studies, it seems that the consequences of definite celibacy will become more apparent with increasing age of singles, and these people in various fields such as; Social, medical, etc. in next future years will need more care and the burden of health and social care will increase, so it is necessary for trustees to take measures to reduce the consequences of definite celibacy from one hand and prevent definite celibacy on the other, As part of such arrangements, the following suggestions are propose;

1. Prevent the abandonment of the idea of ​​marriage through the public media with a focus on the value of marriage and provide the necessary incentives to married people.
2. Facilitate the grounds for accepting custody of orphaned children by single girls in order to reduce the rhetoric of maternal regret and also to create grounds for the growth and excellence of orphaned children.
3. Simultaneous culture building in the field of reducing the stigma of celibacy on the one hand and avoiding the transformation of definite celibacy as a kind of lifestyle on the other hand.
4. Reduce the social helplessness of single girls and reduce the feeling of despair and helplessness of life in society in order to have a desirable life as a cultural view.

Ethical Considerations

High sensitivity of this topic required the informed consent of the research participants, so all participants expressed their informed consent to the topic before the interview, and as a moral commitment, the participants had the right to withdraw at any stage of the research, giving sufficient time to Understanding the interview questions, maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of the respondents' personal information, as well as honest analysis and interpretation based on respecting the rights of stakeholders were other ethical principles that the authors considered.

    Funding: The study was conducted at the personal expense of researchers.

    Authors’ contribution: In conducting this research, the first author; A,T was responsible for data analysis and the second author; M,B was responsible for conducting the interview.

     Conflict of interest: This research is not in conflict with personal or organizational interests.

Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank all the participants in this study.

Keywords

• Qualitative content analysis. MAXQDA software
• definite celibacy
• kappa agreement coefficient
• purposive sampling

20.1001.1.23452692.1401.10.1.1.0

Main Subjects

• Woman and family