Recognition the Phenomenon of Cohabitation in Iran; A Qualitative Study

Background and Aim: This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the causes of women's tendency towards cohabitation in Tehran and analyzing different micro, mezzo, and macro levels of women's tendency towards this lifestyle. Materials and Methods: Using the qualitative method, 19 people were selected in 2023 through snowball sampling from women who live in the cohabitation style in Tehran, and at least one year has passed in their lives, and an in-depth and semi-structured interview was conducted with them. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, and the control method, peer review technique, participant review technique, triangulation, continuous observations by researchers, and gathering evidence from various sources were used for the validity and reliability of the research. Results: In this research, 29 sub-themes were obtained, and after theoretical analysis, eight main themes were classified into three micro, mezzo, and macro levels as the causes of women's tendency to cohabitation. Individual characteristics and lived experiences and moralistic liberalism representing micro-level factors; The change in family functions and the expansion of the communication network represent mezzo-level factors; And the impact of socio-cultural and economic issues on the spread of marriage problems, a critical approach to the social structures of marriage, preventing the phenomenon of divorce, the creation of socio-cultural changes and the rethinking of traditions represent the macro-level factors in women’s tendency towards cohabitation. Conclusion: All three levels, micro, mezzo and macro, should be examined in the analysis of the tendency towards cohabitation, and the results of this research show that the majority of the main themes identified at the social level indicate the extent of structural factors in women's tendency towards cohabitation, and it should be prevented from labelling people who live in the cohabitation style.