title: The shadow of silence on the sexual rights of married Iranian women.
abstract: There has been a recent shift in the field of sexual health, representing a move away from biomedical concerns to sexual rights frameworks. However, few studies on sexuality are based on a rights framework. The unspoken nature of sexuality in Iranian culture has led to a lack of national studies on the topic. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of married Iranian women on sexual rights in their sexual relationships. In this grounded theory study, 37 participants (25 married women, 5 husbands, and 7 midwives) were selected. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding using MAXQDA software version 2007. The analysis revealed the core category of "sexual interaction in the shadow of silence." The interrelated categories subsumed under the core category included adopting a strategy of silence, trying to negotiate sex, seeking help, and sexual adjustment. The silence originating from women's interactions with their families and society, from girlhood to womanhood, was identified as the core concept in Iranian women's experiences of sexual rights. A focus on husbands' roles seems salient because they can direct or alter some learned feminine roles, especially silence regarding sexual matters, which then affects the realization of women's sexual rights.
authors.affiliation: Student Research Committee, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Ebne-Sina Street, Mashhad 9137913199, Iran ; Maternal-Fetal Medicine Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz 7194634786, Iran.
authors.forename: Roksana
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7831-8401
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Janghorban
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Patient Safety, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Ebne-Sina Street, Mashhad 9137913199, Iran.
authors.forename: Robab
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1438-8822
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latifnejad Roudsari
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Research Center, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Daneshgah Avenue, Mashhad 9137673119, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7594-0097
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taghipour
authors.affiliation: Medical Ethics and Law Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1516745811, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9067-0889
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA.
authors.forename: Ilsa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lottes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D019529:Sexuality / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014933:Women's Rights