Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 PhD in Women's Studies, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Public Relations, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, iran
3 Assistant Professor Department of Social Sciences and Development Studies, Women’s Research Institute, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Abstract
Demands in a society can be understood as the needs shared by most or a significant number of its members. These needs are shaped by the dominant discourses within that particular society. It is crucial to note that discourses prioritize the needs of their followers. By identifying prominent discourses with numerous followers in the domain of women's rights, it becomes possible to comprehend their demands. Essentially, understanding these discourses serves as a window into the needs and desires of women's rights advocates within a given society. At the macro level, identifying the demands of women's rights advocates through discourse analysis can provide a foundation for legislating and planning to fulfill these demands. Given its expansive platform for sharing diverse content such as text, images, audio, and video, Instagram presents an ideal space for women's rights discourse. The current research has focused on analyzing discourse about women's rights demands within this prominent social network. The present study, as an exploratory research, was conducted through applied and qualitative methods. The research method utilized was discourse analysis, specifically the approach developed by Norman Fairclough and Theon Van Dyck. Furthermore, the non-probability sampling method and the targeted technique were applied. The statistical population comprised all real Instagram pages belonging to Iranian female users with more than 10,000 followers. These pages were required to be centered on the rights of Iranian women. Considering the eligibility criteria, each Instagram page needed to have a minimum length of at least 300 words and other requirements. Consequently, from a sample of 1000 pages, 56 met these criteria. The findings of the study revealed that there are eleven prominent discourses garnering considerable support on Instagram, which address women's rights demands. The following eleven discourse categories emerged as the most popular on Instagram based on the number of followers they attracted: "Radical Feminist," "Liberal Feminist," "Cultural and Social Demands of Mothers," "Empowerment of Women," "New Religious Thinkers," "Positive View of the Body," "Women's Cultural and Social Demands," "Anti-Advertising Bloggers," "Women's Legal Demands," "Anti-Violence Against Women," and "Islamic Feminist."
Extended Abstract:
Introduction - Research Questions:
Historically, in societies across the world, humans have possessed desires and needs which, upon being shared by a significant portion of the population, become public demands and claims. These demands, which may be framed through a gendered lens, if left unmet, could potentially lead to civil or street protests due to societal pressures. In Iran, prior to the Islamic Revolution, most women were relatively unaware of their rights, leading to a scarcity of demands being voiced, primarily due to a lack of access to education, with many women being illiterate or having only completed elementary schooling. Only women from higher social classes and the educated echelons made demands.
The Islamic Revolution marked a significant turning point in the education of women, and this paved the way for their entry into the labor market. This development saw the emergence of educated women from diverse backgrounds who joined universities, broadening the spectrum of demands. Armed with an understanding of their capabilities, these women articulated a growing demand for increased participation in family and societal management, coupled with aspirations for greater privileges for their socio-economic class.
The advancement of technology has indeed had a significant impact on the expansion of demand-related discourses and the number of its proponents. A key characteristic of media technology is the ability to keep individuals' identities concealed, particularly on social networks, which typically do not charge their members for engaging in activities. This, in turn, facilitates the easy expression of opinions and creation of content in areas of interest. Consequently, a platform has been established for cultivating greater awareness among women of their rights and broadening the scope of their demands.
Among interactive media, there exists a class of tools known as social networks, which have gained immense popularity and wide-spread usage, including examples such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram. These networks serve a crucial role in enabling individuals to express their opinions and views. Notably, they have also contributed to the formation of discourses concerning women's demands within these social media platforms.
Given the significance of the topics at hand and the prevalence of the Instagram social network, the primary question this research paper aims to address is: What types of discourses concerning women's rights are active within the Instagram social network? Essentially, the objective of this paper is to identify the various discourses pertaining to women's rights claims on the Instagram platform.
A study conducted by Mohammadi et al. (2019) explored the comprehension and interpretation of discourses surrounding "women's support for football." The research revealed that the religio-political discourse, grounded in a distinctly Muslim identity, aims to negate other forms of femininity and fundamentally rejects the notion of football fandom among women.
The study conducted by Moghimi et al. (2019) sought to analyze the prevalent discourse of hate directed towards women on the Instagram pages of female users. By employing the discourse analysis approach developed by Theon E. Van Dyke, the researchers examined the pages of four female users active in the field of women's issues.
A meticulous examination and review of the analyzed content unveiled three primary forms of violence. Firstly, there was an expression of discrimination and antagonism towards the patriarchal system. Secondly, there was a targeted condemnation of the institution of family and the conventional role ascribed to women within this system. Lastly, there was a discourse that advocated for feminist and progressive ideals, through a lens of destruction against traditional values, aiming to dismantle the constraints of conventional norms and liberate women from the confines of tradition.
A study by Kharazmi et al. (2019) aimed to identify the cultural actions of women following the Islamic Revolution, by analyzing the discourse of Islamic feminism demands, based on the principles set forth by Margat Badran. This research identified key signifiers using the theoretical framework of Laclau and Moff, which falls under the category of critical discourse analysis. The results of this study indicated that the central signifiers of the Islamic feminist discourse are directed at the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Methodology
The current study employed the "discourse analysis" method, combining descriptive and analytical approaches. This method involved utilizing the theoretical foundations to extract categories, and subsequently conducting discourse analysis across two stages. Drawing upon Fairclough's theory, the target text was initially described to lay the foundation, then depth was added and the body of the discourse was achieved through descriptive, interpretive, and explanatory measures. This process led to uncovering relevant information concerning both micro-level discourse and macro-level social behavior.
In the subsequent stage of discourse analysis, adopting the framework put forth by Theon Van Dyke, specific categories were scrutinized to extract related discourses. The sample size for this study was determined to fall within the range of 15 to 25 samples, with a focus on discourses related to women's rights demands. The study employed a "non-probability sampling" approach, specifically the "targeted" technique, to evaluate the Instagram pages of female users with over 10,000 followers. The unit of analysis in this research consists of the content of these pages' published submissions.
Results
The findings were subsequently ranked based on the number of followers subscribed to each discourse identified. Using these criteria, eleven discourses were discovered. The foremost discourse, "Radical Feminist," critiques the patriarchal system and critiques all the conditions inherent to women's demands. The discourse that came in second, "Liberal Feminist," highlights the patriarchal system and the historical oppression of women, suggesting that equal rights can be achieved for women by entering into cultural arenas and attempting to shift gender stereotypes.
The third discourse delves into the topic of "cultural and social demands of mothers." This discourse posits that society indoctrinates women who choose to have children, leading to social isolation and hindering their potential for career development and personal growth. The fourth discourse centers around "empowering women," which highlights the challenges faced by married or soon-to-be-married women in their interactions with men. The fifth discourse, known as "Religious Thinkers," suggests that re-examining religious texts, particularly the interpretations of the Quran, can offer a solution to the problems at hand. The sixth discourse is "body positivity," which asserts that women have become pawns in the interests of capitalists, acting not only as their victims but also as their advocates in the diet industry.
The seventh discourse focuses on "cultural and social demands of women." Within this discourse, issues affecting women are addressed from a cultural and societal standpoint. The eighth discourse, related to "anti-advertisement bloggers," critiques advertisement bloggers and sweethomes for their involvement in advertisements, which have led to increased consumerism and decreased self-confidence among women, often in exchange for monetary compensation or free facilities.
The ninth discourse, titled "Women's Rights," addresses legal issues pertaining to women, including topics such as dowry, alimony, permission to leave the country, the right to work, the right to housing, custody, guardianship, and related concerns. This discourse advocates for the rewriting of the Family Protection Law. The 10th discourse, "Anti-violence Against Women," stresses the elimination of all forms of violence against women, particularly domestic violence toward women. It also highlights the root causes of these problems, attributing them not only to cultural factors but also to flaws within criminal laws. This discourse advocates for the need to revise these laws. The 11th discourse, known as "Islamic Feminist," seeks to identify common grounds between Islam and feminism and apply feminist principles within the Islamic thoughts and laws of Iran.
Conclusion
The findings of the present study revealed that in the Instagram social network, the "Radical Feminists" discourse is highly active as the dominant discourse resisting the rights of Iranian women. This highlights a significant gap in the domain, characterized by a shortage of accurate and timely information regarding women's demands coupled with the absence of effective channels for pursuing these demands. Given these findings, it is recommended that media, both in the physical realm in the form of newspapers and magazines, as well as in the digital space in the form of news agencies or websites, should specifically focus on the demands of Iranian women. Furthermore, appropriate regulations should be established to regulate and control online content in order to prevent the spread of biased and anti-governmental views. Additionally, well-known figures and media outlets should be utilized to effectively convey the positions of the Islamic Revolution, Article 21 of the Constitution, and the "Islamic fundamentalist" discourse within the context of women's demands.
Encouraging the establishment of creative and thought-provoking cultural centers to create attractive media productions and textual content in the field of primary women's demands is crucial. Synchronizing these demands with existing laws for addressing women's issues is also essential. Additionally, the Women's Faction in parliament should actively pursue legal actions to rectify the legal loopholes responsible for the possible exploitation of women by certain men. By implementing these strategies, we can aspire to shift the balance of power in favor of the dominant discourse in support of Islamic fundamentalist ideology, which aligns with Iranian-Islamic rituals and beliefs and is the prevailing discourse in Iran.
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