IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/gender/v30y2023i3p1104-1123.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

We are both women and Kurd: An intersectional analysis of female Kolbars challenges in Iranian Kurdistan amid the COVID crisis

Author

Listed:
  • Yosra AleAhmad

Abstract

This study uses an intersectional lens to explore the embodied experiences of Kurdish female porters (porters are called Kolbars in the Kurdish language) in Iranian Kurdistan and how their lives and employment have been impacted by the COVID‐19 crisis by drawing on one semi‐structured interview with a female Kolbar living in a rural area of Kurdistan Province. The findings demonstrate that female Kolbars are victims of intersected factors such as gender, ethnicity, solid patriarchal culture in the region and country, the unequal distribution of resources and wealth throughout the country, and economic sanctions and recessions in the state. They resist these various sources of oppression by risking their lives and carrying loads across mountainous borders, staying silent and committing suicide when they have no other options. This study contributes to the feminist intersectionality debate by rendering the intersectional embodied aspects of a marginalized, unfranchised, and under‐studied population of women in one of the most gender‐inequitable countries in the world. Furthermore, it adds to the broader literature on gender inequalities that lie outside of typical organisations and the Western context.

Suggested Citation

  • Yosra AleAhmad, 2023. "We are both women and Kurd: An intersectional analysis of female Kolbars challenges in Iranian Kurdistan amid the COVID crisis," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 1104-1123, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:30:y:2023:i:3:p:1104-1123
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12975
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12975
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/gwao.12975?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Agarwal, Bina, 1997. "Bargaining and gender relations: within and beyond the household," FCND discussion papers 27, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    2. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/5l6uh8ogmqildh09h4687h53k is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Jenny K. Rodriguez & Tracy Scurry, 2019. "Female and foreign: An intersectional exploration of the experiences of skilled migrant women in Qatar," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 480-500, May.
    4. Mou Rani Sarker, 2021. "Labor market and unpaid works implications of COVID‐19 for Bangladeshi women," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S2), pages 597-604, July.
    5. Bina Agarwal, 1997. "''Bargaining'' and Gender Relations: Within and Beyond the Household," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1-51.
    6. World Bank, 2021. "Iran Economic Monitor, Spring 2021," World Bank Publications - Reports 35741, The World Bank Group.
    7. Emmanouela Mandalaki & Noortje van Amsterdam & Ajnesh Prasad & Marianna Fotaki, 2022. "Caring about the unequal effects of the pandemic: What feminist theory, art, and activism can teach us," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 1224-1235, July.
    8. Joseph Stiglitz & Amartya K. Sen & Jean-Paul Fitoussi, 2009. "The measurement of economic performance and social progress revisited: Reflections and Overview," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-01069384, HAL.
    9. Jenny Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo & Jenny K. Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo, 2016. "The Theory and Praxis of Intersectionality in Work and Organisations: Where Do We Go From Here?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 201-222, May.
    10. Sophie Harman, 2016. "Ebola, gender and conspicuously invisible women in global health governance," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 524-541, March.
    11. Jessica A. Peck, 2021. "The disproportionate impact of COVID‐19 on women relative to men: A conservation of resources perspective," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S2), pages 484-497, July.
    12. Shahram Akbarzadeh & Zahid Shahab Ahmed & Costas Laoutides & William Gourlay, 2019. "The Kurds in Iran: balancing national and ethnic identity in a securitised environment," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 1145-1162, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nadia Singh & Areet Kaur, 2022. "The COVID‐19 pandemic: Narratives of informal women workers in Indian Punjab," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 388-407, March.
    2. ChangHwan Kim & Arthur Sakamoto, 2017. "Women’s Progress for Men’s Gain? Gender-Specific Changes in the Return to Education as Measured by Family Standard of Living, 1990 to 2009–2011," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(5), pages 1743-1772, October.
    3. Lauren Pandolfelli & Ruth Meinzen-Dick & Stephan Dohrn, 2008. "Gender and collective action: motivations, effectiveness and impact," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(1), pages 1-11.
    4. Campaña, Juan Carlos & Gimenez-Nadal, José Ignacio & Molina, José Alberto, 2018. "Efficient Labor Supply for Latin Families: Is the Intra-Household Bargaining Power Relevant?," IZA Discussion Papers 11695, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Shitima, Christina Mwivei, 2015. "Institutional context, household access to resources and sustainability of River Basin Resources in Tanzania: towards an analytical framework," IOB Working Papers 2015.07, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    6. Astrid Sneyers & Anneleen Vandeplas, 2013. "Girl Power in Agricultural Production: How Much Does it Yield? A Case-Study on the Dairy Sector in India," Working Papers id:5562, eSocialSciences.
    7. Leanne Roncolato & Alex Roomets, 2020. "Who will change the “baby?” Examining the power of gender in an experimental setting," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 823-852, September.
    8. Dipankar Purkayastha, 1999. "Patriarchal Monopoly and Economic Development," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(2), pages 61-78.
    9. Lecoutere, Els & Jassogne, Laurence, 2016. ""We're in this together": Changing intra-household decision making for more cooperative smallholder farming," IOB Working Papers 2016.02, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    10. Tanika Chakraborty & Sukkoo Kim, 2008. "Caste, Kinship and Sex Ratios in India," NBER Working Papers 13828, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Vijaya, Ramya M. & Lahoti, Rahul & Swaminathan, Hema, 2014. "Moving from the Household to the Individual: Multidimensional Poverty Analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 70-81.
    12. Marta Pasqualini & Marta Dominguez Folgueras & Emanuele Ferragina & Olivier Godechot & Ettore Recchi & Mirna Safi, 2022. "Who took care of what? The gender division of unpaid work during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in France," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(34), pages 1007-1036.
    13. Nandita Saikia & Moradhvaj & Jayanta Kumar Bora, 2016. "Gender Difference in Health-Care Expenditure: Evidence from India Human Development Survey," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(7), pages 1-15, July.
    14. Magdalena Smyk & Joanna Tyrowicz & Lucas van der Velde, 2021. "A Cautionary Note on the Reliability of the Online Survey Data: The Case of Wage Indicator," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 50(1), pages 429-464, February.
    15. Doss, Cheryl, 2013. "Intrahousehold bargaining and resource allocation in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6337, The World Bank.
    16. Joshua Sikhu Okonya & Netsayi Noris Mudege & Anne M. Rietveld & Anastase Nduwayezu & Déo Kantungeko & Bernadette Marie Hakizimana & John Njuki Nyaga & Guy Blomme & James Peter Legg & Jürgen Kroschel, 2019. "The Role of Women in Production and Management of RTB Crops in Rwanda and Burundi: Do Men Decide, and Women Work?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-15, August.
    17. Raghav Gaiha, 2000. "Do Anti-poverty Programmes Reach the Rural Poor in India?," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 71-95.
    18. Trzcinski, Eileen & Holst, Elke, 2011. "A Critique and Reframing of Personality in Labour Market Theory: Locus of Control and Labour Market Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 6090, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    19. Mahata, Sushobhan & Khan, Rohan Kanti & Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Nag, Ranjanendra Narayan, 2022. "COVID-19 lockdown, family migration and unemployment in a gendered society," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 218-236.
    20. Birhanu Megersa Lenjiso & Jeroen Smits & Ruerd Ruben, 2016. "Smallholder Milk Market Participation and Intra-household Time Allocation in Ethiopia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 28(5), pages 808-825, November.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:30:y:2023:i:3:p:1104-1123. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0968-6673 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.