Between Two Worlds: Acculturation and Gender Roles Among Iranian Immigrant Women in Canada

Existing approaches to acculturation often overlook the gendered dimensions of migration, particularly how women from patriarchal societies renegotiate their roles in new cultural contexts. The experiences of Iranian immigrant women in Canada remain underexamined, despite their growing presence in the diaspora and the distinct challenges they face in balancing inherited norms with host-society expectations. This study addresses that gap by analyzing how Iranian women reconstruct gender identities throughout the acculturation process using multiple theoretical frameworks. Using an interpretivist design, five semi-structured interviews were conducted with Iranian Canadian women in Hamilton, Ontario, and analyzed thematically. Findings reveal that immigration provides tangible freedoms, such as autonomy in dress, marriage, and career, while simultaneously leaving women constrained by internalized patriarchal values and pressured by new host-society ideals of individualism and success. By illuminating this dynamic interplay of liberation and constraint, the study contributes to acculturation theory, feminist migration studies, and social work practice.