How Iranian women conceptualize the role of cultural norms in their sexual lives

In Iran, women’s sexual perceptions have not been researched in detail. In this interpretive inquiry, we explore answers to the question of how women conceptualize the role of cultural norms in their lived sexual experience. The study was carried out in Shiraz and Tehran, two large cities in Iran, where in-depth interviews were conducted with 31 Iranian married women of reproductive age. Conventional content analysis was used to extract meanings and perceptions. We identified one main theme as “culturally adapted manner,” and four subthemes of “obligation to cultural subjective norms”, “interweaving of androcentricity and patriarchy”, “acquiring power in the sexual relationship”, and “appeasement of feelings of sexual dissatisfaction.” Exploring the women’s stories demonstrated that cultural norms play a formative role in shaping Iranian women’s sexual perceptions. Moreover, the concepts of patriarchal and androcentric were understood as the same. Nuanced understandings of the ways in which women are trying to deal with perceived effects of cultural determinants of the quality of their sexual lives are revealed. To deliver responsive women’s reproductive health care, health providers need to recognize the cultural factors that affect women’s perceptions and presentation within the consultation, and respond appropriately to these.