مجله پژوهش های راهبردی مسائل اجتماعی ایران
سال دوازدهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 42، پاییز 1402)

Unbalanced industrial development and the lack of coordination of cultural, economic, and social structures in attracting the development criteria will lead to rapid developments in some structures and backwardness of other structures of society. The result of such a process is what we see in industrial cities today. In fact, the focus on industries in industrial cities has led to a massive flood of immigrants and created a variety of patterns of life in these cities, which causes many social damage, one of which is the phenomenon of Dumpster diving. In fact, Dumpster divers are a group of people, who informally collect, sort, process, and sell urban waste, thus earning their living through the collection and recycling of waste and its sale. It is important to address the issue of Dumpster diving from different angles. Firstly, it is crucial to thoroughly examine the negative consequences of Dumpster diving on Dumpster divers themselves, the general public, and the city as a whole. Secondly, the deprivation of fundamental rights for Dumpster divers is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed. Thirdly, the nature of their work and the conditions, under which they operate, give rise to numerous problems and injuries, posing a threat not only to the individuals involved, but also to the overall health of the community. Meybod, a small yet fully industrialized city, has experienced a significant rise in Dumpster diving. Consequently, both immigrants and native residents of the city, who are responsible and law-abiding citizens, express deep concern regarding this matter. The prevalence of this issue is evident in small cities like Meybod, where a significant number of waste collectors, who are part of the Dumpster diving community, operate. This situation is largely a result of the imbalanced industrial development witnessed in the past decade. Over the course of the last three decades, Meybod has experienced an annual influx of over 1,000 immigrants, leading to rapid social and cultural transformations within the city. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the phenomenon of Dumpster diving within the context of unbalanced industrial development and mass migrations. 

This research employed a methodological pluralism approach within a pragmatist paradigm, utilizing critical ethnography with Carspecken's approach. The data collection process involved a combination of participatory and non-participatory observations. Initial data reconstruction was conducted followed by in-depth interviews that focused on dialogue-oriented data collection. A total of 20 individuals were purposefully selected for interviews using a snowball method. The selection process prioritized diversity in terms of gender, education level, age, and other relevant factors. The researchers employed observation techniques, as well as semi-structured and deep interviews, to collect data. The findings from these interviews were categorized into several themes, including Dumpster diving contexts, Dumpster diving economy, exploitative family profiteering, waste city, living with problems, Dumpster diving as a gateway to crime, and institutional promotion of Dumpster diving.

In recent decades, advancements in science and technology have significantly improved the quality of life for people worldwide, addressing numerous diseases and poverty-related issues. However, these advancements have also led to a widening global inequality. This inequality has far-reaching consequences, not only economically, but also politically and socially. It can give rise to various social issues within each country and region, such as large-scale migration. These migrations, in turn, result in significant damages, one of which is the practice of Dumpster diving. Dumpster diving can be attributed to several factors, including unemployment, insufficient income, job loss, lack of government and organizational support (including insurance coverage), addiction, and lack of family support. Individuals may also turn to Dumpster diving due to their reluctance to beg for assistance. Additionally, some individuals perceive Dumpster diving as a lucrative option. In conclusion, while science and technology have brought about positive changes, the widening inequality poses significant challenges. The consequences of this inequality, including Dumpster diving, have profound social implications. Addressing the root causes of Dumpster diving, such as unemployment and lack of support systems, is crucial to mitigate its negative effects and promote a more equitable society. The findings indicated that Dumpster diving was a growing phenomenon directly linked to visible economic and class disparities. While individuals facing adversity in their lives engaged in Dumpster diving, it was the vulnerable and marginalized groups, including women and children, who were most affected and derived minimal economic benefits from this practice. The primary beneficiaries of this industry were the local managers, who controlled its profits. Consequently, this situation further exacerbated the complexity of structural class inequality.

The present study aimed to explore the concept of social trauma and its implications for habit formation from a sociological perspective with a particular emphasis on Bourdieu’s theories of field, habitus, and Hysteresis. Bourdieu, a prominent sociologist, has provided experimental explanations of various social fields and their deconstructions, which can be understood as traumatic situations from a sociological standpoint. According to Bourdieu, in conditions of individual and social stability, change occurs gradually and predictably, likening each person to a "fish in water." This suggests that habit and field are in harmony with each other, forming what Bourdieu termed habitus. The habitus, or embodied dispositions, is in a constant state of flux in response to new experiences. However, in critical moments or when the structure of the field undergoes significant changes, the habitus may struggle to adapt to these fundamental and sometimes catastrophic shifts, leading to a state of disorganization. This disorganization reflects the disparity between the new situations arising from changes in the field and the agents within the field, who must comprehend and navigate the new landscape. This process of disintegration as described by Bourdieu is closely related to the concept of social trauma. The term "trauma," derived from the Greek word "traumat," meaning to wound, is often used interchangeably with post-traumatic stress disorder. In essence, the new situations that emerge within the field can become traumatic, leaving a profound gap in both the field and habitus.‎

This study employed a qualitative approach grounded in theory. Data collection and analysis were conducted by using purposeful sampling and the technique of semi-structured interview with the citizens of Tabriz in the year of 1402. The targeted sampling method utilized in this research aimed at achieving maximum diversity with the inclusion criteria encompassing a range of factors, such as gender, age, residential area (prosperous, marginal, middle-class), marital status, education, occupation, and income.

The findings revealed that the field of social trauma exhibited an inescapable hysteresis of economic capital, devaluation of cultural capital, and a crisis in social capital. These factors contributed to the formation of habitus characterized by hopelessness, fear of the future, inner turmoil, and a sense of inadequacy. These elements in a dialectical interplay exacerbated the distortions within the field and habituation, rendering the situation more complex and precarious.Ultimately, the research findings indicated that the activists were situated within a field of social trauma and disintegration marked by fundamental crises in the realms of economy, culture, and society. Accessing economic resources had become nearly unattainable, while cultural capital had lost its influential role in enhancing individuals' status. Consequently, people had become isolated, their social connections had dwindled, and the activists had experienced alienation. This had resulted in a loss of social trust and diminished social participation. Therefore, life in this traumatic field, contrary to Bourdieu's perspective, which posits disturbances as temporary (though historically accurate), had engendered enduring traumatic habits, such as despair, a sense of helplessness, and emotional distress. The dialectical relationship between the traumatic field and traumatic habits had contributed to the deterioration of the social trauma field and, in accordance with Foucault's views, had led to the erosion of humanity and the human experience.

Recent statistics reveal a concerning increase in suicide rates, particularly during the 2010s in Iran. What's noteworthy is the correlation between this rise in suicide rates and economic shifts during the same period. An examination of the country's economic indicators from 2011 to 2021 highlights deterioration in economic conditions, particularly evidenced by escalating inflation rates, the Gini coefficient, and unemployment. Essentially, the upward trajectory of these indicators coincides with a significant surge in suicide rates across the country. Consequently, the pivotal question driving this research was the extent to which economic conditions influenced the surge in suicide rates in Iran and whether variations in suicide rates among the country's provinces could be elucidated by economic factors. Thus, the primary objective of this study was to "explore the correlation between macroeconomic indicators and suicide rates among the country's provinces" with a focus on analyzing provincial statistics from 2011 to 2021.

This research adopted a documentary method and relied on secondary analysis. Two sets of data were utilized: suicide-related data sourced from the Iranian Forensic Medical Organization and economic indicators obtained from the Iranian Statistics Center. These indicators encompassed GDP, Gini coefficient, unemployment rate, economic participation rate, and inflation rate. The study encompassed a 10-year period from 2011 to 2021, during which these data were scrutinized to address the fundamental research inquiries. The unit of analysis in this study was "province", encompassing all 31 provinces of the country. The aim was to comprehensively compare the statistics related to the aforementioned indicators and their developments across these provinces. SPSS software was employed for data analysis. It is important to note that this research considered both the average of the indicators during the examined years and their changes over this period.One limitation of this research pertained to the discussion of the data and statistics used. The study relied on official statistics related to suicide and economic variables, which might, at times, lack complete reliability due to factors, such as confidentiality or security. However, given the statistical constraints and the absence of alternative reliable information, this study assumed the veracity of the provided statistics. The authors declared that the validity of this information was assumed based on the credibility of the organizations providing it.

The descriptive findings of this study revealed a consistent upward trend in the suicide rate in Iran from 2011 to 2021 with a notable surge during this period. Specifically, the suicide rate escalated from 0.035 in 2011 to 0.06 in 2021. Notably, this increase in suicide rates coincided with economic changes during the same period.Furthermore, the results of the regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP, unemployment rate, and inflation rate, and the propensity for suicide. These economic factors accounted for a substantial portion of the variations in suicide rates among the country's provinces, explaining nearly 44% of the observed changes.Consequently, it was evident that macroeconomic indicators had exerted a decisive influence on social behaviors, including the inclination toward high-risk social actions. Economic instability had led to social distress, anxiety, and heightened societal tension. Factors, such as diminished employment opportunities, prolonged unemployment, and economic uncertainty, had engendered feelings of disillusionment, hopelessness, and a decline in optimism within the society. Consequently, individuals, feeling unable to cope with failure and disappointment and perceiving the society as economically unstable, had resorted to suicide as a form of self-punishment and a response to the prevailing economic instability.

Iran, a large and diverse country with a rich multicultural tapestry, is home to various ethnic groups. The coexistence of these diverse ethnicities poses the potential to weaken the nation's collective identity and unity. Neglecting these differences can have detrimental consequences, leading to social disintegration. Embracing a sense of belonging to a broader national community is crucial for fostering social cohesion and averting political and social instability. The inclination to identify with the national community and derive a sense of identity from it is a vital indicator of social development in Iran. When individuals, despite their affiliations with smaller ethnic, religious, or class groups, prioritize membership in the national community and draw their identity from it, they are better positioned to contribute to the country's progress and respond voluntarily to societal crises, leveraging their abilities and resources to aid in problem-solving. Additionally, the manner, in which a society is governed, plays a significant role in reinforcing the inclination towards a national community. A fair and efficient government that aligns with the values of the society, comprising diverse smaller groups, can bolster the propensity towards the national community. This study aimed to assess the inclination towards the national community and the factors influencing it.

The data for this study were gathered through a survey designed to capture various dimensions of national community orientation, including cognition, emotion, and behavior, as well as social, historical, territorial, cultural, political, and economic aspects, along with perceptions of intergroup justice and a shared future. The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula, resulting in a sample of 384 individuals to achieve a 95% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. To ensure accuracy, 530 questionnaires were ultimately completed. The survey employed a two-stage sampling approach, utilizing cluster sampling to select localities and random sampling to select respondents. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software and internal consistency, construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha were assessed to ensure the reliability and validity of the indicators. Owing to space constraints, the internal correlation results were not presented in this article.

The findings indicated that the inclination towards the national community in Iran averaged at 4 out of 6 on a 6-point scale, signifying a substantial tendency. Specifically, there was a strong inclination in the social, cultural, historical, and territorial dimensions, while the political and economic dimensions showed a relatively lower sense of justice between groups and common destiny towards the national community. In terms of orientation, the emotional dimension of orientation to the national community was rated at 4.6 out of 6, indicating a high to very high level, but it exhibitd a weaker status in the cognitive and behavioral dimensions. This underscored the importance of enhancing knowledge and providing further training in understanding the national community as the individuals demonstrated a strong orientation towards it but lacked sufficient knowledge and exhibited weaker behavior in strengthening their national community. Another significant point pertained to commonalities within the national community, which were categorized into past, present, and future. The current survey revealed that people were more interested in commonalities originating from the past, including culture (4.7), history (4.8), and land (4.6), compared to the commonalities of the present (economy, politics, etc.) and the future. In other words, the tendency towards the national community based on the common past was stronger than the tendency based on the commonality of the present and the future. Commonalities related to the present and the future were more influenced by the efficiency of the government and alignment of values in the society. The government's acceptability in terms of efficiency and value orientation effectively increased orientation towards the national community. The variables investigated accounted for 65% of the changes in the tendency towards the national community.

For over the past two decades, Iran has experienced a total fertility rate below the replacement level (Alimoradian et al., 2023) with the ideal number of children hovering around 2.5 (Razeghi Nasrabad & Abbasi-Shavazi, 2020). Concurrently, there has been a notable rise in women's involvement in higher education and the labor market within the social landscape of Iran. In this context, education and employment can be perceived as potential constraints that may at times conflict with the decision to start a family. This study aimed to delve into the challenges related to childbearing faced by working women.

This study adopted a qualitative research approach, conducting in-depth interviews with 22 employed mothers in Tehran. The participants were selected through purposive sampling to ensure maximum diversity and interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Discussion of Results & Conclusion  :

The study's findings unveiled 4 primary themes and 10 sub-themes concerning the challenges faced by working women in relation to childbearing: challenges at work, child-rearing challenges, economic challenges, and children's education challenges.The theme of challenges at work encompassed 3 sub-themes: anti-maternal administrative structure, work-family conflict, and glass ceiling. The anti-maternal administrative structure pertained to the absence of supportive conditions for balancing work and childbearing despite the existence of protective laws in Iran, such as reduced working hours, maternity leave, and breastfeeding hours for women. However, the study's participants perceived these laws as inadequate and lacking reliable enforcement. Long working hours, bringing work home, dissatisfaction of spouses and children due to extended work hours, feelings of fatigue, low vitality, and unhappiness served as evidence of work-to-family conflict.The glass ceiling denoted gender discrimination in the workplace that impeded women from advancing to higher positions. Examples of the glass ceiling included wage disparities, lack of family benefits, denial of family share of supplementary insurance to women, discrimination in managerial roles or job promotions, and limited number of female managers, particularly mothers with young children.The participants encountered various economic challenges, such as high living costs, limited housing space, especially for families with two children, expensive private schooling and extracurricular activities, high housing rent and mortgagepayments, prolonged installments for home purchases, inflation, and economic downturn. They viewed their employment as crucial for addressing these challenges, often expressing that without employment, they would face hardship and poverty.The theme of childrearing challenges encompassed 3 sub-themes: "child care concern," "breastfeeding and child nutrition issues", "child upbringing concern", and "environmental and social insecurity". The working women in this study had encountered difficulties in caring for their children, particularly those under 6 years old and those in primary school. Mothers with children under 6 years of age highlighted challenges related to arranging childcare, including the transition of kindergartens from workplaces to the private sector.Additionally, the participants reported various issues concerning breastfeeding and child nutrition, such as negotiating with administrators to use breastfeeding facilities, early cessation of breastfeeding, irregular and inadequate feeding, and increased consumption of fast food by their children due to the mothers' limited time and late arrival at home.The theme of challenges related to children's education comprised 2 sub-themes: "inefficiency of family support policy in the education system" and "weakness in educational content." All participants, including women without children, highlighted this challenge and discussed the issues and concerns of their relatives, friends, and colleagues. Mothers expressed concerns about the Ministry of Education's neglect of the limitations faced by working mothers, high cost of educational devices, such as tablets or phones for online classes, mismatch of school and work hours, school closures due to weather conditions, and lack of time to assist children with homework and lessons. A significant concern for mothers with elementary school children was incompatibility of work and school hours as work typically ended at 4:00 p.m. while public schools closed at 12:30. This situation led some families to enroll their children in private schools where they could stay until the end of the workday and be supervised by the school staff. Additionally, parents were worried about their prolonged absence from their children, the need to provide internet access and devices, such as tablets or mobile phones for online schooling (during the coronavirus epidemic or air pollution days), and potential exposure of children to inappropriate content through movies, books, and materials unsuitable for their age.Ultimately, the research findings revealed that the employed women had encountered a multitude of challenges across various facets of their lives, particularly following the birth of a child. Additionally, the results indicated that the administrative framework tended to disregard the maternal role of working women. Aligned with institutional theory (Scott 2014), the normative expectations and gender stereotypes within the cultural context of Iranian society allocated the primary responsibility for family provision and livelihood to men, while domestic work, childcare, and the care of other family members were predominantly assigned to women. These circumstances had led the women in this study to opt for having fewer children as a coping mechanism. Developing programs and policies to alleviate these conflicts and challenges represents an effective strategy for promoting increased childbearing among working women.

Organizational procrastination is a prevalent negative behavior among employees in all types of organizations. Despite its detrimental impact on organizational performance, it has been largely overlooked in management research. Procrastination is the intentional delay of actions despite awareness of the negative consequences, often resulting in decreased employee performance. Employees' procrastination can lead to a lack of motivation to engage in team tasks, work avoidance, rationalization, and making excuses for not completing assignments. These individuals often allocate insufficient time for substantial activities, leading to rushed and incomplete work and ultimately diminishing work quality. Procrastinators experience a form of self-restraint and avoidance, desiring to complete tasks but failing to follow through to completion. This phenomenon has affected the work of millions of employees and significantly impacts organizational effectiveness and productivity. Therefore, it is crucial to address and identify the factors influencing organizational procrastination. Previous research in this field has indicated a notable increase in employee procrastination, which can significantly diminish organizational effectiveness. However, this variable has been overlooked in many organizations, including Payam-e Noor University. It is essential for management researchers to consider the possibility of procrastination among university employees. Given the adverse effects of procrastination within the university, it is crucial to investigate and identify the contributing factors. Furthermore, a review of past studies reveals a lack of exploration into the roles of mobile dependence, organizational laziness, and cyberloafing in organizational procrastination among employees. Therefore, this research aimed to examine the relationship between mobile addiction and organizational laziness with organizational procrastination, while considering the mediating role of cyberloafing among employees of Payam-e Noor University in Kermanshah Province.

This research employed a purposive approach and utilized a correlational descriptive method, specifically employing the structural equation modeling. The statistical population comprised 250 employees from Payam-e Noor universities in Kermanshah Province with a sample of 160 individuals selected according to Morgan's table using the available sampling method. Data collection involved the use of Safarinia and Amirkhani's organizational procrastination questionnaire (2013) consisting of 25 questions, the cyberloafing skew questionnaire (2014) comprising 14 questions, the grounded organizational laziness questionnaire (2013) containing 20 questions, and the mobile addiction questionnaire by Hyun Yong Ko (2008) with 20 questions.

Among the respondents, 137 were male and 23 were female. The data analysis revealed several significant findings mobile dependence exhibited a positive and direct impact on organizational procrastination, organizational laziness had a positive and direct effect on organizational procrastination, and cyberloafing also demonstrated a positive and direct effect on organizational procrastination. Additionally, mobile dependence and cyberloafing were found to have a positive and direct relationship, while mobile dependence indirectly influenced organizational procrastination through the mediating role of cyberloafing. Similarly, organizational laziness indirectly affected organizational procrastination through the mediating role of cyberloafing. Furthermore, the mediating role of cyberloafing in the relationship between mobile dependence, organizational laziness, and procrastination was found to be significant. The model fit assessment indicated a relatively strong and appropriate fit for the model. These results underscore the meaningful implications for organizational practices.