A Study of the Relationship between Hijab and Sexuality In the City of Tehran

The main implications of the Islamic hijab are strengthening the foundation of family, preventing sexual immorality, and preventing female objectification. In this study, we studied women and men’s perception of veil and sexuality using an inductive approach. For this purpose, we used grounded theory as our research method. The data were collected through deep interviews and direct observation. The population of the study consisted of men and women aged 25-40 years old and the sample included 16 women and 8 men that were selected using theoretical sampling. According to the results, the main theme that explains the relationship between sexuality and the hijab is “facing sexuality types”. These types include experiencing sexuality, attitudes towards sexuality, and sexual attractions that shape the individuals’ interpretation of hijab and sexuality. In addition to this, the causal factors such as social change, Islamic hijab characteristics, and following peer group and demographic factors like religious affiliation, family upbringing, geographic location, semantic anomy and patriarchal society influence “facing sexuality types”. The outcomes of the main theme are: having different standards in choosing the dress, classifying hijab types based on the perception of sexuality, using various strategies to manage their clothing, conformity with the existing definition of hijab, and thinking about the hijab concept.