Femininities in teaching: dialectic of self and others

Purpose – Based on grounded theory the purpose of this paper is to explore the gender identity development of 40 Iranian female EFL teachers teaching at Iranian universities to examine how these women’s gender identity as part of their broader personal identity is developing through actions and interactions resulting from their job. Design/methodology/approach – A grounded theory study including theoretical sampling and constant comparison was conducted to address our main research questions. Data were gathered through online focus group interviews, online, asynchronous, in-depth interviews, and reflective memos. Collected data were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding techniques. Findings – The results of the analysis of data led to the emergence of the final core theme of dialectic of self and others. Participants were in constant conflict of being a true woman, a woman behind the mask of a man, and a human wearing no gender. Originality/value – The paper provides a new portrait of gender identity development in line with Wenger’s (1998) communities of practice demonstrating multidimensionality and complexity of femininities. Such a study can shed light on challenges, experiences, and expectations of women working outside the home.