Emotional Capital as Power; How do Women use their Emotional Power as a Weapon of Resistance

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran. Sharifisaei@ut.ac.ir. (Corresponding Author).

2 Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Iran. tazad@ut.ac.ir

Abstract

So far, most previous studies in Iran have considered women without economic and cultural capital as women without power in the family. These studies have paid less attention to other women's capital such as "Emotional Capital". In this study, we seek to answer the question of how women use their emotional capital as a tool of power in the family? In this regard, 36 married women were interviewed in Tehran, Iran. The research findings showed that emotional capital is not the cause of women's subjugation but the tool of their power in the family. In this regard, women use various strategies such as "Emotional Blackmail", "Victimization", "Shaming" and "Alliance with Children" to counter the power of men in the family. Through emotional capital, they control male dominance and balance the Relation of power in the family. These indicate that the sources of women's power in the family are numerous. These resources go beyond the economic and cultural capital that has been explored by various studies.
 
‌
 Power, Resistance, Patriarchy, Emotional Capital, Women and Family Studies, Gender Studies.  
‌
‌Introduction
In recent years, the study of power relations in the Iranian family has been considered. Most Iranian studies emphasize that the Iranian family is patriarchal. Also, the relation of power in the Iranian family is completely in the interest of men. In this approach, women can change the power relationship in their favour only if they have access to economic and cultural capital. These studies show that women who do not have cultural and economic capital, are powerless in the family (Garosi, 2008; Enayat & Dastranj, 2010; Zare Shahabadi & Mandani, 2013; Kafi, Bahmani, & Sadat Delavar, 2016; Mardani & Movahed, 2017). Also, women in the lower social classes have less power in the family than women in the upper classes; Because lower-class women have fewer resources and capital (Mahdavi & Sabouri Khosrowshahi, 2003; Bakhshipour & Aghajani Mersa & Kaldi, 2018). However, the present study emphasizes that the sources of women's power are not limited to economic and cultural resources. This study seeks to identify new forms of capital among women. So far in Iranian research, the role of women's emotional capital as a component of women's power in the family has not been considered. Emotional capital includes the emotional resources that a person provides to people that he or she values. The present study seeks to find out how women use their emotional capital as a tool of power in the family. How can women, through emotional capital, shift the balance of power in the family to their advantage?
 
Methodology
This research has been done with a qualitative method. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 36 "married women". All interviews were conducted in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The sampling of participants was done using a purposeful sampling method.  In this study, the process of data collection and data analysis was performed sequentially. Coding and data analysis was performed immediately after each interview. The content analysis method was used to analyze the data.
 
Findings
Most women have higher emotional skills than men. This skill gives them strength and power that can affect men. The findings of this study showed that women use their emotional capital as a tool of power in the family. In this regard, they use various strategies such as "emotional blackmail", "victimization", "Shaming" and "alliance with children". In emotional blackmail, some women used their emotional power to pressure their husbands. In this way, they imposed their demands on their husbands. If a man did not accept the woman's requests, the woman might be angry with him or put him under emotional pressure. Another female strategy was "victimization." In this way, women apparently accepted male domination but resisted covertly. In this way, they presented themselves as a victim who had been oppressed by their husband. They highlighted gender oppression against themselves. In this way, the women tried to persuade their husbands to do what they wanted by creating a sense of regret. Another female strategy was to create a sense of "shaming" in the husbands because of their misbehaviours. This was done to persuade the husband to express remorse and change his misbehaviours. Another strategy of women was to use their children in power relations in the family. Children are usually closer to the mother than the father. Male domestic violence led to children being separated from their fathers. When women faced domestic violence, they isolated their husbands at home through alliances with their children. The alliance of women with their children put their husbands under emotional pressure. Through this punishment, women tried to change the behaviour of men.
 
Result
The role of women's emotional capital in power relations in the family has been less studied. The findings of this study showed that women can control masculine power in the family to some extent through their emotional capital. These findings show that women's emotional capital is one of their areas of power for them. Therefore, the sources of women's power in the family are numerous. These resources go beyond the economic and cultural capital that has been explored by various studies.

Keywords

References

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Women's Studies Sociological and Psychological
Volume 19, Issue 4 - Serial Number 69
February 2022
Pages 81-128

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