Gender relations in the mindset of students in Tehran universities

The subject of this research is the understanding of students' attitudes towards gender relations. Connell's theories of “gender order” and Bourdieu's “male dominance” have provided the conceptual framework for this study. Research data were collected using a qualitative approach and through semi-structured interviews with 32 female and male students of three universities in the Iranian capital i.e., University of Tehran, Amirkabir University of Technology and Alzahra University. The data were analyzed thematically that finally revealed three main themes and eleven sub-themes and showed that the students had three distinct approaches to gender relations: One group considered gender discrimination to be of little importance. They justified gender inequality based on natural differences, colluded with patriarchal values, and were somehow satisfied with lesser responsibility on the part of women in some fields. The second group constituted a large part of the participants, and was sensitive to gender discrimination. Within this group, most of female students had either experienced discrimination in their family life since childhood, or faced gender discrimination in the university and the labor market. Most of the male students in this group were aware of their gender-based privileges. The third group constituted a minority that was active in promoting legal gender equality within university associations or promoting student publications, etc. However, even among these activists, there was obvious frustration towards changing the laws. In some cases, this encouraged them to emigrate. Most of participants believed that universities play a positive role in their intellectual transformations, particularly in the field of gender relations. That said that the university usually provides a platform for interaction among students which can help bring changes to values and attitudes.