Narrative Analysis of culture of poverty among female heads of households in the 19th district of Tehran in 1399

Female-headed households’s lives face challenges due to the absence or weakness of male supervision. Factors such as human biological and social changes have broadened the upward trend of this particular type of female guardianship, and from another perspective, cognition based on the Emic method means cognition from within and awareness of the biological experience and quality of life of these social groups, which will be an effective step in their planning and management. The purpose of this study is to analyze the narrative and identify their dimensions of women heads of households about the concept of poverty in Tehran's 19th district.

The method of this research is qualitative. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 women heads of households in the area. The sample size was determined based on the theoretical saturation criterion as 15. Thematic analysis of narration based on Brown and Clark method in Nvivo 10 software was used to analyze the interview data.

 Analysis eventually led to the emergence of the following four main categories: biotic erosion, social reconstruction of motherhood, rejection, and reproduction of poverty. These findings show that despite the difficult situation and the poor quality of life of this group of women, financial assistance and support from official institutions, even at low levels along with public assistance, play an important role in their lives.

 The important point is that in many cases, these formal and informal protections have only helped to maintain their status quo and have rarely empowered them. That is, it only ensures the survival of their current status with the mentioned characteristics, therefore, directing support is very effective, especially in the field of their employment.