Criticizing The Social Policy of Female-Headed Households in Iran

It is more than a century that Iranian society has undergone socioeconomic changes same as all around the world. These changes have been on the path of development and modernization and have rapidly altered traditional institution including family. A sign of these changes is the increased in number of female-headed households; which, according to the reports of the Statistical Center of Iran, has increased by 72% in the past 15 years. Referring to the growing trend in the number of female-headed households who are considers as the poorest poor group in the societies, every state including Iran, has its own program for supporting them. The purpose of this research is to study social policy regarding female-headed household by reviewing the relevant written laws in the country. The findings show that Iranian laws are mostly socio-democratic in the domain of constitutional laws, traditional and idealistic in the realm of civil laws, and somehow liberal and market-oriented in the domain of social laws. In accordance with global evolution in recent decades, development plans in Iran have shifted from supportive policy to empowerment discourse. Results show a contradiction between laws and plans for female-headed household in Iran. It means that, as the major role of women in Iran is to be a wife/mother; if male heads of households suddenly disappear, based on empowerment policy, women are expected to leave the house for work. It means they have to keep their previous roles besides new one.