Women’s Employment and the Socio-Emotional Functions of the Family in Iran

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship betweenwomen’s employment and the socio-emotional functions of the family. For the purposeof this study, 300 women were selected through method among women livingin district 11 of Tehran. 199 individuals were unemployed and 101 individualswere employed. They responded a researcher-made questionnaire which measuredsocial and emotional functions of the family. Social functions of the family wereassessed in three aspects of children’s academic achievement, children’s social adjustment,and women’s decision-making power in the family. Furthermore, emotionalfunctions were assessed in two dimensions of women’s intimacy with theirhusbands and women’s involvement in making decisions about reproduction. Thefindings of the study indicated that in the social function of the family, there wasno relationship between women’s employment and children’s social adjustment andacademic achievement; however, there was a positive relationship between women’semployment and their decision-making power in the family. In the emotionalfunction of the family, there was no relationship between women’s employmentand their intimate relationships with their husbands or with their decision makingabout reproduction and fertility.