Abstract
This study examines the culture of poverty among women who are caretakers of their families and supported by the Behzisti Organization (an Iranian governmental Welfare Institution) of Sari Township. It employs Oscar Lewis’s theory of the culture of poverty to reveal the nature and dimensions of poverty as experienced by these women. Employing in-depth, semi-structured interviews, we spoke with 28 women and Behzisti assistants. These interview data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Resultant themes indicated general elements of poverty such as lack of literacy and the accommodation issue, but also indicated other outcomes of women in poverty, including irresponsibility, dis-participation, secrecy, gender bias, sexual vulnerability, forced remarriage, low- risking and beggary. For these women, poverty has multiple dimensions and a continuing trajectory.
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Mohammadpur, A., Karimi, J. & Alizadeh, M. Women and culture of poverty (a qualitative study of the culture of poverty among the Iranian caretaker women). Qual Quant 48, 1–14 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-012-9744-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-012-9744-x