Document Type : Original Article
Researcher
Student of masters degree
Ministerial Ethics Committee
Transgenderism refers to the incongruence between an individual's gender identity and their sex assigned at birth. Individuals with this experience face not only internal challenges but also extensive societal barriers that severely impact their quality of life. These individuals are often subjected to structural discrimination, family rejection, limitations in employment and education, and deficient access to healthcare services. Prevailing public ignorance and cultural norms sometimes lead to physical and verbal violence, social isolation, and deprivation of fundamental human rights.
Despite increasing global attention to transgender rights, the workplace experiences of this group in Iran have not been sufficiently prioritized. Transgender individuals face complex challenges in the workplace—ranging from objective barriers such as difficulties in changing identity documents and discrimination in hiring, to subjective barriers like fear of disclosure and internalized stigma. All of these can act as obstacles to their active participation in society. These conditions not only result in their economic marginalization but also adversely affect their mental health and quality of life.
This study, focusing on the Iranian workplace as an independent domain (not merely a subset of social exclusion), seeks to answer the following question:
How is the lived experience of transgender individuals shaped in confronting the gender structures of the Iranian workplace?