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Women’s Well-Being in Iran: Territorial Analysis Using a Multidimensional Approach

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Abstract

This paper employs a multidimensional index for assessing women’s well-being in Iranian provinces using demographic and health survey macro data. Besides economic status as a traditional dimension for objective well-being, other factors such as health, education, risk, and technology as well as self-reported life satisfaction and happiness (psychological well-being) have been included as non-material well-being dimensions. We found that the values of women’s well-being are distributed unequally across the provinces. Southern provinces demonstrate the worst performances and central provinces have the best. Generally, Iranian women are in poor condition in terms of economic variables (e.g. income and participation in the job market), psychological well-being (life satisfaction), HIV literacy, use of the internet, and access to mass media. On the other hand, in recent years, they have made significant progress in education (such as the rate of literacy, high school degree), and health (safe pregnancy care and nutritional supplements).

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Acknowledgements

We thanks all those who helped us in the study, especially the National Institute for Health Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Determinants of Health Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Hossein Mohaqeqi Kamal

  2. Department of Social Welfare Management, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Seyed Hossein Mohaqeqi Kamal & Mehdi Basakha

  3. Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mehdi Basakha & Gholamreza Ghaedamini Harouni

Authors
  1. Seyed Hossein Mohaqeqi Kamal
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  2. Mehdi Basakha
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  3. Gholamreza Ghaedamini Harouni
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Correspondence to Mehdi Basakha.

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Mohaqeqi Kamal, S.H., Basakha, M. & Ghaedamini Harouni, G. Women’s Well-Being in Iran: Territorial Analysis Using a Multidimensional Approach. Soc Indic Res 137, 1061–1072 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1656-7

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