Erosive/ Healing Employment: A Qualitative Study on the Employment Challenges of Female Clients of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in Mashhad

Finding and maintaining a job position is influenced by several factors, including gender. Women, especially women who are heads of households, face many concerns in finding and maintaining a job position. This study has focused on participants who are female heads of households and seek help from the Relief Committee and tries to provide a perceptual image of the job search process and the lived experience of this group of women by using the grounded theory method. Findings show that the job opportunities of the women studied in most cases are so eroding and shaky that they can be considered less illuminating for the future of the client. In these women's lives, the challenges that arise in this process outweigh the potential strengths. They suffer from physical and mental exhaustion due to occupational activity beyond the typical retirement ages, and their physical condition will be threatened in the future. In addition, these women face challenges in the workplace that are related to their gender, which makes the workplace unsafe for them. This insecurity makes them reluctant to accept a job position. As a result, the emphasis on sustainable training is one of the effective strategies to improve their situation.