Courtship, Dating and Marriage among Young Iranian Women and Men in Tehran

In the field of social sciences focused on Iran, numerous studies have been conducted on gender, and more particularly, on the transformations of gender relations after the Islamic Revolution. However, these studies have predominately explored gender relations solely from women’s point of view. Gender relations in Iran have rarely been approached from the parallel perspectives of both women and men, or through the convergence of the two. Since 2012, I have been conducting fieldwork in Tehran among young women and men, as well as their parents. Considering both female and male perspectives, I seek to analyze young people’s expectations and aspirations of life partner and marriage, and explore their practices of courtship and relationships in comparison to those of their parents. My paper attempts to answer the following questions: where and how do young Iranians of different backgrounds gather to meet and to flirt in Tehran? What are their respective expectations and aspirations with regard to love or matrimonial partner? In what ways do these young people differ from their parents’ generation? Finally, what is the impact of globalization on their practices and imaginations of relationships?