The roles and Functions of giving identity to women in the Ferdowsi's Shahnameh

The present study investigates the identity-constructing roles and functions attributed to female characters in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, through the lens of sociological concepts—a subject that has remained largely unexplored in scholarly literature. The research aims to address the question of which narrative roles and sociocultural functions ascribed to women in the Shahnameh contribute to the construction of their social identity. The source is Ferdowsi's Shahnameh—edited by Khaleghi Motlagh.The research method is qualitative, and the technique used is content analysis. The research framework is a conceptual model. To analyze women's social identity, we used social role and function. the identity functions of Shahnameh women in the six roles of child, kinship, wife, mother, political and economic have been investigated. The results of the present study show that The important function of women in Shahnameh is to help men and accompany men with identity. The most identifying roles for women in Shahnameh are the two roles of wife and child. Women in the Shahnameh can be classified into two categories of women with good functions and negative functions based on their function. The good functions of women in all roles are loyalty, sacrifice, courage, cooperation, compassionate guidance of men and secrecy. The negative functions of women in the role of wife and children are conspiracy and deception of the opposite man, opposition and disloyalty to the father after marriage, killing the wife and killing the rival woman.
Introduction:
Identity in sociology is a multi-sided concept. Sociologists consider identity in both individual and social aspects. Giddens defines social identity as the set of characteristics that distinguish one group from another. Based on the similarities between people and their placement in different groups with the same characteristics, people have social identity. The concept of role in sociology refers to the demands that society has on the individual. Social networks are our responsibility, and we enjoy the same rights and benefits. This set of duties and social rights is called a “role.” The important point in the study of the role of each individual is the extent of their effectiveness, which is referred to by the concept of "function." A part of each individual’s social identity is based on their different functions in roles. In this study, the roles that Shahnameh women have in the family institution are studied in four groups: children, kinship, wife, and mother, and the functions of each woman in each of these roles are represented. To identify the number of women and the bits related to their presence and influence in Shahnameh stories, in addition to the text of Shahnameh, Tahtegh-e Khaliqi Motlaq and Hamidi's "Shahnameh Women's Culture" were also used, and a total of 92 women with names and roles were identified in Shahnameh and Tahtegh-e Khaliqi Motlaq. Some women have no function. Their names are not mentioned in the text but are included in the tables and charts of women numbers. References to the text of the Shahnameh include the volume number, the names of the stories from the correction of the Absolute Creator, and the bit number in that story.
Statement of the Problem
The identity of women in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh is an important issue. The story of most women in Shahnameh is told only to the extent that it relates to the story of the male hero; beyond that, the continuation of the woman's story is insignificant or omitted. It seems that part of the social identity of women in Shahnameh is revealed by identifying and analyzing their functions in different roles. In Shahnameh, by taking on different roles, women seek to create identity alongside men for themselves. The purpose of this research is to identify identity-giving functions of women in Shahnameh.
Research Questions:

What functions of women in Shahnameh stories give them social identity?
How do women gain social identity in different roles in Shahnameh?

Method:
The research method is qualitative, and the content analysis technique is used. The research document is Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, the Absolute Creative Correction. The research model is conceptual. According to the conceptual model, in order to recognize the social identity of women in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, the parts related to women’s functions have been selected from the Shahnameh of Absolute Creative Correction, and the functions of women in Shahnameh have been analyzed using conceptual model concepts. Data collection was done using the library method.
Results:
In Shahnameh, in terms of having roles, women are more identified through men. Women’s names are not always mentioned and they are identified with their male companion. The existence of a woman in Shahnameh is not free from the existence of a man, or she appears as the mother of a hero, or his wife or daughter. There are few cases where a woman is depicted independently of these roles. The following chart shows the frequency of the presence of women in the roles of the family institution.
Chart 1: Descriptive Chart of the Roles of All Women in Shahnameh
 
Based on the descriptive diagram of women's roles, the most identity-giving roles for them are spouse and child. These two roles are the ones in which women are directly associated with men and have the highest number and function. The smallest role and function is kinship. The important function of women in Shahnameh is to help and accompany those with an identity to achieve identity, which is repeated in various roles. The women of Shahnameh can be classified into two categories: women with good and women with bad functions, based on their function and effect in Shahnameh stories. The bad functions of women in Shahnameh in the role of wife and child include conspiring and deceiving other men, incompatibility and lack of affection with the father after marriage, killing the wife, and killing rival women. Women’s good deeds in all roles include loyalty, sacrifice, courage, resourcefulness, compassionate guidance of men, and secrecy. Women’s good deeds in Shahnameh are considered good in the eyes of men. Women who are always with and sympathetic to men are selfless, loyal, and fearless in their presence. Women act badly when attempting to gain power and identity alongside men.