Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Social Sciences, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
3 MA, Women Studies, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Isfahan University, Isfahan, Iran
4 PhD student, Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kurdistan, Iran
Abstract
Highlights
Introduction
In modern societies, due to the multiplicity of the identities that a person acquires, people witness the separation of society and the increase of individualism, which puts a double pressure on communication and social relations. The existence of this space causes fundamental changes in social relations and isolation in the life of a group of people. The atmosphere of a metropolis directly affects people's communication , which is seen particularly in women and makes it more difficult for them to be present in society. The existence of buildings and streets in Iran's metropolises has created an urban fabric which creates a feeling of insecurity in women.In addition, the time and place limit women in the community to certain hours and places. In fact, genderization in urban spaces, especially in metropolises, which causes women to be dissatisfied with the fabric of the city, pushes women towards more isolation. Weaknesses in the design of urban spaces keep women from benefiting from public urban spaces and social participation. This research is based on the sociological analysis of the relationship between the quality indicators of the urban fabric and the social isolation of women in the city of Isfahan. This research will show both the extent to which the physical, economic, social and cultural indicators of the city are related to the social isolation of women and the ways out of these limitations.
Methodology
Experimental study (Times New Roman:12 and Bold )
This research was a descriptive-analytical survey applied in terms of purposeand was an investigation of the relationship between quality indicators of the urban fabric and the social isolation of women in the city of Isfahan. The data collection waslibrary and field based.. Of field methods, a questionnaire was used. There were 350 participants who were selected from the upper, middle, and lower areas of the city by a cluster method; in this way, a few streets were selected from three regions and a few alleys from each street and in each alley a few women living in that area filled out the questionnaire. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which was designed as a variable of social isolation with four dimensions of loneliness, helplessness, social despair, and social tolerance. The questionnaire related to the independent variable (urban context) was designed in four physical, economic, social, and cultural dimensions. Data analysis was done by a SPSS software. The data was analyzed descriptively and inferentially using statistical tests to determine the status of research variables.
Theoretical Framework
One of the basic approaches of Ferdinand Tunis in explaining the social changes of human societies is that the industrial revolution and rapid urbanization in Europe have created changes in the social relations of people. (Kivisto, 2008: 127).According to Durkheim, the crisis of modern society is the loss of social ties and solidarity. Due to the change from mechanical solidarity based on the sameness of values and norms to organic solidarity based on distinction and difference, new societies may face the problem of non-dependence and solidarity between the individual and the community (Aron, 2007: 56).
According to Simmel, this social influence expresses a spatial truth in the modern city which squeezes people closely together, but creates a spatial separation. Being in a crowded city shows the contradiction between the collective nature of social life and the fundamental isolation of the individual, the contradiction between the demands of the group and the individual (Tankis, 2011: 17). Cohen (2004) considers social isolation to be equivalent to cultural alienation, and Christina and her colleagues (2009) also believe that social isolation is expressed in two separate concepts. First, it means the separation of individuals and social groups from the wider society. Second, it refers to the separation of people from primary social groups such as family, friends and neighbors (Kalantari and Hosseini, 2014).
Results and discussion
The results showed that urban physical texture had a significant and negative relationship with women's loneliness with a coefficient of -0.182. This meant that with the increase in the quality of the urban fabric, the loneliness of women decreased. Also, urban physical texture had a significant and positive relationship with women's social tolerance with a coefficient of 0.218. This meant that with the increase in the physical desirability of the urban context, the level of social tolerance of women increased. In general, the urban fabric had a significant relationship with social isolation with a coefficient of -0.328 in terms of physicality.
In addition, urban economic context had a significant and positive relationship with women's social tolerance with a coefficient of 0.166 . This meant that with the increase in the quality of the urban context, from an economic point of view, the level of social tolerance of women increased. In general, urban fabric had a significant and negative relationship with social isolation with a coefficient of -0.121 in terms of economy. This meant that with the increase in the economic desirability of the urban context, the amount of social isolation decreased.
Urban social context had a significant and negative relationship with women's disability with a coefficient of -0.185 and with social poverty with a coefficient of -0.219. This meant that with the increase in the quality of the urban context from a social point of view, the amount of disability and social despair of women decreased. In general, the urban context had a significant relationship with social isolation with a coefficient of -0.241 from a social point of view.
The state of urban cultural context had a significant and positive relationship with women's social tolerance with a coefficient of 0.177 and a significant and negative relationship with disability with a coefficient of -0.238. This meant that with the increase in the quality of the urban fabric in terms of culture, the level of social tolerance of women increased. In general, urban context had a significant and negative relationship with social isolation with a coefficient of 0.233 in terms of culture.
The results of the correlation test between the quality of the urban context and the isolation of women showed that the urban context had a significant and negative relationship with the social isolation of women with a coefficient -0.157. This meant that with the increase in the quality of the urban fabric, the amount of social isolation of women decreased.
Conclusion
The main purpose of this research was a sociological analysis of the relationship between quality indicators of urban fabric and social isolation of women in Isfahan city. The results showed that the indicators of the quality of the urban fabric had a significant and negative relationship with the social isolation of women. This meant that with the increase in the quality of the urban fabric, the amount of social isolation of women decreased. The urban area and urban fabric were areas where inequality was seen, in such a way that it was claimed that women and men experience urban spaces in different ways. In other words, women do not benefit from urban spaces in the same way as men do. According to some urban commentators, cities are the product of male urban planning, and modern urban planning has a patriarchal character in its nature, as if modern urban planning follows male values and norms. . Today the nature of most urban spaces has become gendered and in practice urban spaces limit the free movement of women.
In the context of urban life, women find the possibility to leave the fence of their limited and traditional roles and experience a new world by entering the public space and being active in it. Indeed, what makes women unable to benefit from the existing facilities of equality is the soul and body of the city and the fear of harassment, violence and feeling of insecurity.
In order to change this situation and reduce the social isolation of women, it is necessary to provide unconditional security and peace for women in the city and provide quick and easy access to various services to meet their needs. Also, all urban facilities and services must be organized in such a way that they are in accordance with physical, mental and psychological characteristics of women and their roles so that they can move and operate in the city with complete freedom and confidence.
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Main Subjects