Analysis of attitudes towards participation of women in cooperatives from the viewpoints of women cooperative's experts and agents in Iran

There are always factors and forces which stimulate and threaten the participation of women in social fields. The general goal of this research is to study the viewpoints of actors (agents, managing board, and members of cooperatives) on the participation of women in women’s cooperatives. This is a quantitative (descriptive) research. Considering the limitations of research and the criterion presented by Israel (1992), from the four groups under investigation; that is, managing board (N=12819), members (N=528501), managing directors (N=12819), and the experts of the Ministry of Cooperation (N=1500), 453 subjects from the first three groups and 153 subjects from the last group were selected as the sample. Multiple and multi -stage sampling techniques were used. The validity research tools were examined and approved by Tehran university lecturers. Their reliability were verified and approved too. The parameter α for the questionnaires was between. 77 and. 88, showing the reliability of the research tools. The findings of the research show that the viewpoints of the actors (members of cooperatives, members of the managing board, and the managing directors) and the viewpoints of the experts of women cooperatives in Iran on the activity and socioeconomic participation of women in cooperatives are influenced by factors such as age, membership, experience, etc… Moreover, it was found that the four groups (members of cooperatives, members of the managing board, the managing directors and the experts) have different views about the activity and socioeconomic activity of women in cooperatives.