Individual consequences of having work and family roles simultaneously in Iranian married women

Because of the paucity of studies about the consequences of women's work and family responsibilities in Iran, in the present study the authors used a qualitative approach to begin to provide in-depth answers to the following question: What are the consequences of having work and family responsibilities in Iranian married women? Data were obtained from 29 participants using individual in-depth interviews conducted with 17 participants in addition to two focus groups (n = 6 per group), all conducted in the second half of 2014. All of the participants were Iranian nationals, married, and held a full-time job outside the home. Five main themes were derived from the study: "promotion of self-esteem and social status," "facing difficulties," "effort and dedication," "unfulfilled needs and non-optimal health," and "restless mind." Participants reported achieving a number of advantages for themselves and their families as a result of working outside the home; but, they also had many problems with the potential to impair various health aspects, including physical, reproductive, and mental health. Thus, it is important for Iranian health-care providers to consider the effect of the work-family interference on women.