A Sociological Study of Domestic Violence Against Women in Iran: A Narrative Review

Domestic violence against women has always been a social problem and has continued in the social history of Iran. A wide range of studies have examined the causes and contexts of this problem from different perspectives. This study aimed to achieve a comprehensive theoretical model of the causes and contexts of domestic violence against women in Iran. 

Methods and Data: 

The research method of this study was a narrative review, examining 95 studies in Persian published over 20 years from 2002 to 2021. The variables that had a significant effect or correlation with violence against women in previous studies were categorized and the relationships of new variables were determined. 

Findings indicated that patriarchal values and beliefs and differences in socioeconomic status and low social and cultural, and economic capital are the leading causes of domestic violence against women in Iran. Other variables shown in the final model were all affected by one of these two main variables. 

In this study, social and cultural factors are put together to provide a more complete picture of the factors and contexts explaining domestic violence against women in Iran. The final proposed model can be used as a theoretical framework in future studies.

 Key Message:

 Patriarchal values and beliefs and gender inequality are the main factors behind domestic violence against women in Iran.