نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
In the face of rapid social, cultural, and technological transformations, parenting styles in Iran have encountered significant challenges that have made their reconsideration a sociological necessity. The present study aims to analyze alternative futures of parenting styles in Iran by employing the Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) approach. Through examining four analytical layers—litany, social causes, discourses/worldviews, and myths/metaphors—the study seeks to construct multidimensional perspectives on child-rearing in Iranian society. Methodologically, this research adopts a qualitative and futures-oriented design. The research population consisted of experts in the fields of social sciences, family studies, child development, and social policy. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Initially, experts with relevant academic and professional backgrounds were identified, and subsequently, additional participants were recruited through referrals until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the Causal Layered Analysis framework. The findings indicate that existing parenting styles in Iran are characterized by discontinuities at individual, familial, and structural levels. These patterns are shaped by factors such as economic pressures, intergenerational value gaps, weak institutional support systems, conflicting discourses (including official Islamism, modern individualism, and neoliberal educational ideology), and dominant cultural metaphors such as “a child must be raised strictly like gold being forged.” The study demonstrates that these multilayered tensions have placed the Iranian parenting system in a transitional condition, hindering the emergence of a coherent and integrated model of child-rearing. Accordingly, the research emphasizes that desirable future scenarios—such as a tolerant, creative, and resilient society—can only be achieved through revising dominant discourses, strengthening family support institutions, promoting conscious and informed parenting education, and reconstructing cultural metaphors of child-rearing. By offering a multilayered analysis of alternative futures of parenting, this study presents an innovative contribution to educational futures studies and provides a foundation for transformative policymaking within Iran’s educational and family systems.
کلیدواژهها English
