A Survey of the Lived Experiences of Women in Masculine Professions: A Case Study of Female Fire-Fighters and VanTaxi Drivers in the City of Tehran

Women employment, in its new conception, is defined as their economic activities throughout certain period of time while they are away from home. However, this concept has been expanded in different dimensions. The issue is that occupation is influenced by gender features and accordingly jobs are categorized as masculine or feminine ones. As a result of this categorization and division,women face legal or social impediments if they wish to enter certain occupations in our society. Since this issue has its own impact on the society, it has attracted the attention of authorities in charge and social affairs experts and specialists. Ultimately, what can be observed in the society are vague policies and paradoxical decisions concerning this problem. This research examines the horizontal gender-based division of professions in case of lived experiences and perceptions of womenwho experiencedmasculine professions. The research is qualitative and data was gathered by in-depth interviewing. The data was coded and the findings were then categorized under several themes. In the same vein, the causes of women choosing toperform in manly occupations, and their problems in these jobs, as well as the implications of their presence in these positions were deduced. After all, it seems that the essence of women lived experience in this case variesbased on the typology of various jobs.