Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Master's student in local development, urban orientation, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
2
Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
3
Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
10.22080/sod.2026.30931.1036
Abstract
The study employs a qualitative approach based on grounded theory to deeply understand the lived experiences of Iranian mothers within context of sociocultural transformations. Its central problem lies in explaining how mothers navigate the tension between traditional rols and modern expectations, and how this duality shapes their identity, family relations, and everyday practices. The theoretical framework, grounded in family systems theory, cultural-historical theory, and social role theory, conceptualizes motherhood as a multidimensional phenomenon embedded in irans cultural, economic, and class structures. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with mothers from diverse social backgrouns and analyzed via open, axial, and selective coding. Finding indicate that middle and upper-class mothers face strong societal pressures to ensure their childrens success and maintain social prestige, while lower-class mothers confront economic hardship, emotional strain, and limited social support. Across all groups, mothers strive to balance tradition and modernity. The study reveals that motherhood in contemporary iran is less an individual experience and more a reflection of cultural and normative discourses. Its innovation lies in conceptualizing motherhood as a social and cultural phenomenon-beyond psychological or economic interpretations and in presenting a conceptual model of motherhood in cultural transition. By integrating feminist and social role perspectives within and indifenous framework, the study contributes valuable theoretical insight to the sociology of family and gender in Iranian society.
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