Different Types of Family Values and Their Socio-Economic Correlates in Tehran City

In the past, the Iranian family was based on hierarchical relationships on age and gender and priority of men and elderly. Following the world changes, the Iranian family has experienced changes in various areas. Although Iranian people have always been family oriented but recent research shows that changes of values, decline of traditional family values and the rise of modern and postmodern family values are unavoidable. In this paper, it is attempted to address the situation of different types of family values and their relationships with social and economic characteristics in Tehran City.

This study is a cross-sectional survey with questionnaire in the Likert-scale format. The statistical population includes Tehrani citizens who have 18 years of age and above. 600 individuals were selected using cluster sampling method. Also, face and construct validity were achieved. Based on Inglehart definition, the dependent variable was defined according to three dimensions of traditional, modern and postmodern family values. Each item is measured on 0 to 4 scale. Traditional family values include 9 items: women should be obedient to their husband, children should be obedient to their parents, in the rearing of children obedience should be taught, man is the main decision maker in the family, in the family the elderly should be respected more than others, family income must be in possession of the husband, child care is the duty of woman, invert of abortion should be legal. Modern family values also include 9 items: women have the right to spend their money, women have the right to decide on the number of children they want to have, parents should accept child's independence, couples must live independently at home, men should participate in housework, mate selection should not be compulsory, family members must have solidarity with each other. Finally, post-modern family values included 9 items too: in my opinion, marriage should be abolished, I choose my own comfort, abortion should be legal, married women can have sex with someone other than their husband, boys and girls can live together before marriage, homosexuality can be accepted, pleasure in life is the more important thing. By utilizing a definition from Mannheim (azadarmaki,2007), the research population was divided into three generations: 18 to 34 years old as the third generation, 35 to 64 years as the second generation and 65 years and older as the first generation. Socio-economic status is made measurable by the combination of three variables including employment status, income and education.

The results of the study show that the trend of changes in family values is not linear. There are traditional and modern values widely in practice, as well as mild degrees of postmodern ​​family values. While modern family values are increasing at a large scale, the traditional family values have not declined strongly. This trend does not show rapid changes in the erosion of traditional values. The gender and generational structure of our society has caused higher average modern values and its predominant over the other types. From the first to the third generation, traditional values have decreased ​​while the modern ​​and postmodern values have increased. There are modern and traditional family values widely in practice in all three generations. Although there are cultural changes, but we can also see a continuity and stability in cultural traditions. Cultural replacement is happening slowly, but traditional values persist. Likewise, postmodern family values are rising but the rise is too slow and does not show the breakdown of the family in the near future and possibly distant future. Gender is an important determinant in the changes of traditional and modern values. Women have more access to power with higher levels of education and employment and have been able to bring change in family values towards gender equality. There are no gender differences in postmodern values. There is a significant relationship between education and family values, especially in traditional values. Traditional family values are seen in people with less education, while modern and postmodern family values are seen in people with higher education but this relationship is weak in postmodern values. Traditional family values are seen in people with lower income, education and socioeconomic status. There are modern and postmodern values in people with higher education and income. There are intergenerational differences in family values that especially created a distinction between the first and the third generations. Multivariate analysis shows that 22.7% of traditional family values are explained by gender, generation, education and income, respectively. Men resist changing traditional values in three generations. Gender, education and generation explained 12.5% of modern family values. Generation, marital status and income explain 11.5% of the postmodern family values, respectively. There are no gender differences in postmodern values and men and women move towards convergence. Explanatory power of these variables is less in the modern and postmodern values, so we should be looking for more effective factors. Finally, given the importance of the generation and marital status in postmodern values, providing facilities for marriage can help to prevent the spread of postmodern family values in younger generations. It is recommended that other researchers investigate other factors affecting family values and qualitative studies.