Sex roles and sexual attitudes of young Iranian women: implications for cross-cultural counseling.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the extent to which young Iranian women in Los Angeles have held on to their traditional Iranian values concerning sex roles and intimate relationships. The primary focus of the investigation was to look at the effect of the educational level and other demographic factors on young Iranian women's attitudes toward sex roles and sexual issues. Results of the study indicate that the educational level of young Iranian women is related to their attitudes regarding sex roles and sexual issues. The findings also indicate a positive relationship between subjects' permissive attitudes and the length of time they have been away from Iran. There is a significant negative relationship between the age of the subject when she left Iran and the attitudes she now holds: The younger she was when she came to this country, the more her attitudes resemble those of the majority culture. Implications for cross-cultural counseling are discussed.