Spatial Exclusion of Women Based on Their Clothing in Tehran

The present study deals with spatial exclusion of women in Tehran. Twenty women with different types of clothing and social status were selected by purposive sampling. Their age varied between 18-50 years old. The women had different occupation: students, teachers, housewives, employees etc. They were interviewed until theoretical saturation was gained. Grounded theory has been used for analyzing and categorizing data. The core category is described as “a tendency toward extending the spatial domain of identity” which refers to women’s effort for securing their identity as a belonging. All the women -including veiled and unveiled, with spruce and sloppy, childish, boyish or any unusual types of dressing- had experienced such exclusions and applied various methods for dealing with this problem in their every-day life such as ignoring or avoiding some situations, making dialogues or disputes. Nevertheless exclusion turns into an obvious part of their life and little by little they get used to it.