Acculturated Sexuality

Very few studies have focused on the changing views on sexuality as a specific feature of the experience of Iranian immigrants to modern egalitarian cultures in North America and Europe. The purpose of this research was to explore the influence of acculturation on Iranian immigrant women's sexuality in Canada. This research utilized a qualitative methodology based on in-depth interviews with 5 Iranian immigrant women. The interviews focused on Iranian immigrant women's understanding of how the sources and the messages of sexuality, in the Iranian and Canadian contexts, have shaped their own sense of sexuality. All the women interviewed for this study experienced a shift in their sexual beliefs, values, and attitudes after migration to Canada. In addition, all the women expressed that the opportunity to define and reconstruct their own sense of sexuality in the Canadian context affected their well-being positively. The participants' narratives have important implications for researchers and mental health professionals that could be applicable to therapeutic practice, policy making, and future research.