Journal of Woman and Family Studies

Designing an Educational Framework for Developing Women’s Existential Capacities in Muslim societies: a Qualitative Research

Document Type : Research/Original/Regular

Authors

Education and Psychology Department. Shiraz University, Shiraz. Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide the training needed to develop woman empowerment. The method of the present study is a qualitative case study. Potential participants in this study included experts and faculty in various fields of education (sociology), sociology, law and psychology, as well as sample women in Fars province (sample managers and mothers), using purposive sampling method. The theoretical saturation criterion was selected from 15 specialists and 10 sample mothers and 5 sample women who had managerial tenure. The method of data collection was in-depth interview and study of documents related to the research subject. The content analysis method was used to provide the training needed to realize the development of women's empowerment and identify the challenges in this area. As a result of the necessary trainings for empowering mothers, 5 themes were organized: art education, skill training, spiritual and religious education, psycho-cognitive education, socio-economic education, and the challenges ahead in implementing such an important one. Exploring various issues such as women's resistance, male resistance, local community resistance, economic and political problems, and finally solutions to make the empowerment components of mother’s work. Accreditation and reliability techniques were used to validate the qualitative results.

Highlights

Women’ empowerment is essentially "a process by which a person acquires the ability to determine their own life and destiny and at the same time have a reason to value that kind of living" (Galie et al., 2017). Women's empowerment is also a multifaceted process that includes individual and collective awareness, beliefs, and behaviors embedded in the social structure of a cultural context (Huis et al., 2017). Education as a means of empowering women can create a positive change in attitude. In addition, education is a turning point in women's empowerment because it enables them to face challenges, fulfill their traditional role, and change their lives (Bhat, 2015). Given the pivotal role of women in society, having a clear educational model in place to achieve empowerment in women, can play an important role in women's lives, and subsequently, in the family as well as society, and improve their quality of life in various individual, group, and social dimensions, and lead succeed in various national and international arenas. In fact, the mothers in the Iranian society need to receive appropriate education in accordance with the Iranian culture and society in order to develop the competencies that are worthy of Iranian and Muslim women and mothers so that they can first achieve success for themselves and their families and more broadly for the Iranian society. to realize in different dimensions. Therefore, the present study, in recognition of the importance of this issue, seeks to propose an appropriate educational model for the development of Iranian mothers’ empowerment. In accordance with this goal, the following questions are the are being addressed:

1- What kinds education do mothers need for to overcome their weaknesses?

2- What are the challenges facing the realization of such educations?

3- What strategies enrich the development of mothers' empowerment?

Method

The present study is a qualitative case study. Participants in this study included experts and faculty members in various fields of education, sociology, laws, and psychology as well as successful women in Fars province (successful managers and mothers). Using a purposive sampling strategy and the theoretical saturation criteria, 13 experts and 15 successful mothers in managerial positions were chosen. In-depth interview and study of documents related to the research topic were used to acquire data. The thematic content analysis was used to give the the necessary training to achieve the development of mothers' empowerment based on Iranian women's merit. Trustworthiness and credibility techniques were used to validate the qualitative results.

 

 

Results

Experts reviewed the components of mothers 'empowerment, the training required to achieve these capacities, the challenges associated with implementing these trainings, and strategies for implementing the components of mothers' empowerment.

Table 1. Educations, challenges and strategies for empowering mothers

Educations

Art, skill-building, spirituality and religion, psychology-self-knowledge, economic-social trainings

Challenges

 

Women's resistance, men's resistance, local community resistance, economic and political problems

Solutions

 

Providing educational programs through non-governmental organizations, formal and informal education for mothers and daughters, planning effective educational programs, educating mothers about their rights, promoting gender equality in the workplace, promoting women's culture, change laws affecting women, changing the of families’ attitude towards women's empowerment, holding workshops with mothers, empowerment and skills training through primary education, developing self-confidence and altering patterns, expressing and  teaching women's rights according to Islamic Sharia, recognizing the media’s role in promoting and educating mothers’ position and role, and providing lifelong education and learning

 

Conclusion

According to the research findings, the trainings needed to empower mothers and women include art education, skill education, spiritual and religious education, psychological education, socio-economic education. Given that women's education has become a primary goal of development in recent decades, several studies have addressed the importance of the role of education in women's empowerment (Syomwene and Kindiki, 2015; Bhat, 2015; Samarakoon and Parinduri, 2015; Guinée, 2014; Hilbert, 2011), which are consistent with the present research in emphasizing the need for comprehensive women’s education in the direction of empowerment. Additionally, challenges were identified in the way of the aforementioned trainings, which include women's resistance, men's resistance, local community resistance, economic and political problems, all of which are consistent with Fallah Haghighi (2015) and Geleta et al. (2017). Participants also suggested strategies for improving of mothers’ abilities and skills, all of which highlight the women’ comprehensive education. Therefore, the need for comprehensive education for women as a tool for empowerment necessitates the development of a model that is adapted to the Islamic society's culture and social institutions. It is obvious that the Iranian and Muslim woman, who views motherhood as a heavenly obligation, deserves a comprehensive educational model based on her culture and religion, so that she can be adorned with the virtues befitting her status. Therefore, the present study can be seen as an attempt to solve this critical issue by presenting an acceptable educational model for the development of Iranian Muslim mothers’ empowerment. According to the research findings, a comprehensive education program centered on the development of components for mothers’ empowerment is necessary. However, there are challenges in empowering mothers, which can be overcome by adopting practical and appropriate solutions that lay the groundwork for effective implementation of educational programs and realization of empowerment.

 

 

 

Ethical Considerations

All participants in the study consented to participated by signing a consent form, and the researchers assured them that the results of the research would remain confidential.

 

Funding: The present article is taken from the research project "Proposing an Applied Model for Development of Empowerment in Competent Mothers in Iran Society" No. B-96/1688 which was funded by the International Mother Foundation.

 

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Journal of Woman and Family Studies
Volume 10, Issue 1 - Serial Number 24
June 2022
Pages 132-151