Women, Shopping Centers and Consumption Signs (Case study of Shiraz Setareh Fars Shopping center)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD in Sociology (Social Change) and member of scientific board at Bu-Ali

2 MA in Anthropology

Abstract

Iranian women have experienced serious changes in their lifestyle and daily life policies within the last decade. These changes not only include the pattern of consumption of goods but also consumption signs, places attended, times and environments that allow for opinions on the economy and consumption signs. This article is dedicated to qualitative analysis of women demeanor in one of the biggest and most luxurious shopping centers in the city of Shiraz called “Setareh Fars” The consumption patterns, signs, attitudes and living policies of the women who go there for shopping are investigated.A range of theories related to consumption, gender and identity have been applied in this survey. These theories are: Feminism general approach, and Hebdige’s, Bourdieu’s, Muggleton’s, De certeau’s, and Bakhtin’s  theories, every one of which deals with some specific dimensions of consumption signs and the contemporary routine lifestyles.
The research methodology is qualitative and has been demographically conducted. The information needed for this research has been collected via observation and interviews of  31 women sellers and buyers. The participants were selected with purposeful sampling and data collection procedure was based on theoretical-conceptual examination of the research queries. The data was then investigated and submitted to a thematic analysis.The research findings revealed that a shopping center is not merely a place for consuming the common goods but is a symbolic and typical area for consumption signs, pretense of expenditure, wandering about, seeking identity, defiance to gender distinction, and finding friends. In light of this view, consumption of goods in shopping environments is in most cases a superficial behavior.

Keywords

References

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Women's Strategic Studies
Volume 12, Issue 47
October 2010
Pages 41-72

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