Empowerment of Female Heads of Households in Iran: A Systematic Review

Introduction: The number of female heads of households has increased in recent years due to widespread social and demographic changes in Iranian society. At the same time, most of these women are part of the vulnerable strata of society, and so their empowerment is important. Method: The method used in this research is systematic review. The statistical population of the present study includes published scientific articles that have dealt with the subject of "empowerment of female heads of households". Related articles were searched in Persian scientific sites. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the most relevant articles with the objectives of the study (32 articles) were selected. After reviewing the quality and scientific validity of the selected articles, in order to obtain the data of the articles, the data extraction worksheets were designed and adjusted in the form of 8 indicators and were completed by two researchers/coders based on the coding and annotations of each worksheet. The indicators studied in the worksheets are: time interval, geographical distribution, field of research, theoretical approach, type of womenchr(chr(chr(chr('39')39chr('39'))39chr(chr('39')39chr('39')))39chr(chr(chr('39')39chr('39'))39chr(chr('39')39chr('39'))))s support coverage, research method, and factors and strategies affecting womenchr(chr(chr(chr('39')39chr('39'))39chr(chr('39')39chr('39')))39chr(chr(chr('39')39chr('39'))39chr(chr('39')39chr('39'))))s empowerment. Finally, after carefully reviewing and comparing the worksheets specific to each article, the obtained data were collected, described and analyzed, and based on them, the purpose of the study was addressed. Findings: In the articles related to the empowerment of women heads of households, different variables and factors have been considered. In the present article, in addition to contextual factors (age, education, number of dependents (household size), duration of care, marital status), the main and important factors studied in three groups (socio-cultural, economic, personal-psychological) are classified and Are summarized. Important strategies and suggestions of the studied articles are also divided and presented in economic, social, educational and consulting dimensions. Discussion: Systematic review of previous articles shows that the need for research on empowerment of female heads of households is to pay attention to different dimensions of the empowerment process. A conceptual model can be proposed in which the process of empowerment of female heads of households is studied in a cyclical, multidimensional and interdisciplinary manner. The proposal of this conceptual model is an attempt to apply a holistic and integrated perspective in the study of empowerment of female heads of households in Iran.