Iranian women’s sexual reconstruction through the internet: Informal education and empowerment

Abstract

The emergence of the internet offered a unique space for Iranian women to inquire about their personal autonomy, including sexual autonomy. While the internet accelerated Iranian women’s emancipation from sexual subordination, critical questions concerning the impact of socio-cultural mores on this relatively new experience remain convoluted. Grounded in critical feminist and sexual script theoretical frameworks, this research investigates some Iranian women’s comprehension and experience of sexual autonomy by closely exploring the educational role of the internet on the discourse of sexual autonomy and its interconnection with the Iranian culture of shame and silence. Through semi-structural in-depth interviews and online ethnography, this research investigates how the internet serves as an informal learning tool that disrupts traditional learning and expedites women’s sexual autonomy in both online and offline spaces. Adopting critical thematic analysis, this study determined that the online realm altered the meaning of sexual subordination and led to a reconstruction that shifted the boundaries of shame and silence around sexuality. Through the interaction and interconnection between online and offline spaces, Iranian women problematize the culture of shame and silence through learning, revisiting their existing knowledge, and then silently acting. Therefore, a cultural reconstruction that is gradually redefining sexual scripts is emerging.