Cultural Policy

Leisure is an opportunity for self-development, self-definition and community rejuvenation, acquisition of experience and development of social interactions. However, it is "relatively" free and constrained by factors such as gender, cultural and social policies governing societies. The current study is aimed at examining married women's leisure problems in Tehran from the viewpoint of experts. The research method is qualitative while the Thematic Analysis is used for data analysis and the illustrated problems. 23 semi-structured interviews conducted with three groups of experts (policymakers, executives and university professors). Two global themes of "Intra-governmental" and "Extra-governmental" problems are taken through the experts on the leisure problems of the target group. "Marginalization", "inequality and discrimination", "scattered policy making and implementation", "demonstrative policies" and "apathy" are "Intra-governmental problems" whereas "restriction", "excess and negligence in leisure activities" and "body as project" are forming "Extra-governmental problems". The results of this study illustrate that leisure problems for married women in Tehran have a cultural root and are caused by "cultural neglect and misunderstanding". Thus, cultural solutions can provide a framework for other solutions to function.

Socio-cultural diversity is a comprehensive phenomenon across the world so that there are only a few monoethnical countries. Every country attempts to plan its policy to manage its ethnical diversity on one hand according to goals and approaches of its political system and on the other hand according to its specific ethnical diversity pattern. The Islamic Republic of Iran also is among countries with ethnical diversity and attempts to administrate its policy according to its political system approach toward ethnical diversity and the features of that diversity. In this paper it was tried to represent some socio-cultural suggestions, employing the positive experiences of countries with ethnical diversity and regarding opportunity-based approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward ethnical diversity and recommendations of the leaders of the revolution. The research method used here is a combination of documentary method with studying of resources and available studies, formation of elites’ panel, interviewing with elites. Also Smith’s general policy making model was used in the process.