AN Investigation on the Phenomenon of Women Vendors in Tehran's Metro
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To cite this document: Mohammadian Mosammam, H., Ahmadi, L., & Razavian. M.T. (2018). An Investigation on the Phenomenon of Women Vendors in Tehran’s Metro. Urban Economics and Management,6(1(21)), 71-84 www.iueam.ir Indexed in: ISC, EconLit, Econbiz, SID, RICeST, Magiran, Civilica, Google Scholar, Noormags, Ensani. ISSN: 2345-2870 An Investigation on the Phenomenon of Women Vendors in Tehran’s Metro Hassan Mohammadian Mosammam Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Leyla Ahmadi* Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Taghi Razavian Department of Human Geography and Planning, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran Received: 2016/06/18 Accepted: 2017/09/18 Abstract: One of the major challenges facing managers and urban planners in the third millennium is increasingly development of informal economy. Tehran Metropolis is not an exception and it has witnessed a growing expansion of the informal economy, especially vendors in the subway over the last few decades. Accordingly, this paper aimed to review the theories and approaches about the phenomenon of street vending and then analyzed the passengers’ attitudes towards women vendors as well as the characteristics and reasons for its spread in subway cars using a survey based on semi-structured interview. The statistical population includes of two groups of traveler women and street vendors of Tehran metro line 1 and the sample size is 75 and 82 respectively. The results revealed that passengers are more willing to buy from Metro vendors. The major group age of metro’s vendors are young, educated, often immigrants, married and heads of households. The most important reason for this activity is inadequate capital and lack of jobs in the formal sector. The respond of managers and city officials is often based on legalistic approach, prohibiting, and preventing their activities. Finally, in order to organize vendors in metro, solutions Downloaded from iueam.ir at 12:16 +0330 on Saturday October 2nd 2021 [ DOI: 10.29252/iueam.6.21.67 ] including efficient and comprehensive spatial planning throughout the country, facilitating self-employment, development of special places for vendors, monitoring and controlling the quality of products, training and empowering, licensing activities in specific places and renting metro stalls to vendors have been presented. Keywords: informal economy, street jobs, women vendors, Tehran Metro Line 1 JEL Classification: E26, J32, L91, J61 * Corresponding Author: [email protected] 27_____________________________________________________ Urban Economics and Management 1- Introduction time. According to Modernism, it was Over the last decades, rapid growth presumed that cities free from informal of urbanization and overcoming urbanization activities will be created, and these of urban planning have made many big businesses will simply disappear (Meneses- problems facing urban managers and Reyes & Caballero-Juárez, 2014). However, policy-make, particularly in developing today, street vending is a growing countries. Nowadays, more than 85% of phenomenon that most of the workers that growth belongs to the cities located make money through it in developing in southern countries. One of the most countries (Kayuni& Tambulasi, 2009). influential push factors of such rapid Urban managers have always tried to growth is rural-urban migrations in prevent the activity of these people in the those countries. Promoting medical streets or to regulate at least this activity, facilities, developing modern transportation but not only have not succeeded, but technologies, increasing cultural and sometimes these efforts have the opposite economic exchanges, and natural growth effect ((Meneses-Reyes & Caballero- of rural populations along with limited Juárez, 2014). And in most cases it has human and natural resources lead the caused conflicts between city officials peoples from villages directly to the cities and street vendors. These conflicts are to find a better life. In southern world often due to lack of license, tax avoidance, cities unlike the industrial societies, the and the occupancy of public space and lack of resources besides the gradual sidewalks by sellers (Kayuni & Tambulasi, economic growth enfeeble cities to 2009). Despite these issues, these provide a qualified life and enough jobs individuals not only earn money by for immigrants who are not skilled and relying on small personal and native educated, therefore they immediately get capital, but by providing a range of cheap into the informal section of the economy and affordable goods and services for (Bhowmik, 2005). The informal section deprived people of the community, they makes a room for newcomers who are not play an important role in increasing well educated nor skilled (Maneepong & economic and physical access to the Walsh, 2013). Increasing informal products and, consequently, in the employment and its emerging challenges urban economy (Weng, 2013). Tehran, have made a common ground to become as a political center of Iran, is the heart Downloaded from iueam.ir at 12:16 +0330 on Saturday October 2nd 2021 [ DOI: 10.29252/iueam.6.21.67 ] an international development discourse of economic activities in the country. since 1970s (Heinonen, 2008) and it has Like many populated Asian cities, Tehran attracted the attention of academics, is received constantly a large number of social activists, and policy makers to people who seek for job and street itself more than before. Street vending is vending is a bold character in its public the well-known sub-division of informal spaces. Furthermore vending at subway employment which is really common both has become controversial as an emerging in across the country (Onyango et al., issue that vendors from both genders got 2012). Basically, this activity is a involved in it. Since the uncontrolled rise historical profession which rooted in of these vendors, the relevant authorities, ancient societies. It used to have a including the municipality and Tehran- dominant role in trade network at that Suburban Railway Company, have tried 27_________________ An Investigation on the Phenomenon of Women Vendors in Tehran’s Metro in various ways to organize transportation subdivisions: Home-based workers (those and combat the activities of these people. who produce goods and services at their Moreover, it is imperative to take homes), domestic workers (servants and advantage of planners and policymakers guards), street vendors, and waste to solve this problem. pickers. The organization believes Accordingly, the present study aims that promoting a decent work requires an to review the academic literature of the integrated strategy that removes the world in this regard, and then analyze the negative dimensions of informal jobs by reasons for the presence and employment maintaining its potential for job creation of vendors in Tehran’s metro space and and income. the satisfaction of metro commuters with The World Bank has carried out various regard to vendor’s activities. Finally, researches in this field, often focusing on there are alternatives to consider. Thus, evaluating methods and the informal sector. the main questions of the research are: Along with these studies, there have 1. How satisfying are the activities of been other researchers in foreign literature, vendors and the goods provided by them such as Pena (1999), which explores the to the commuters? role and function of street vendor 2. What are the characteristics of organizations. The results indicate that female vendors and what are the reasons these organizations carry out two major to be subway vendor in Tehran? roles in negotiating and managing social 3. What are the best alternatives to capital. organize female subway vendors in Tehran? In a study published in six countries, including, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, 2- Literature Review Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and South Africa, a) Foreign Researches Mitola (2003) concluded that the workers The word “informal” was first in this sector of the economy were in introduced by Keith Hart (1973), an irregular and unprotected environments anthropologist in social sciences, in an they work not well for business. article entitled "Informal Opportunities In 2004, Jimu investigated pros and for Income and Urban Employment in cons of street vendors and indicated that Ghana." His study focused on self-employed by establishing appropriate regulations workers who failed to get the right job in and creating economic opportunities, it the formal sector. He showed that high Downloaded from iueam.ir at 12:16 +0330 on Saturday October 2nd 2021 [ DOI: 10.29252/iueam.6.21.67 ] would likely to be counted as a positive inflation, insufficient wages and an factor in the socio-economic development increasing number of workers who and development of poor societies. surplus market demand led the workers to In 2011, Timaslina acknowledged the get into the informal jobs. importance of the street businesses and Until 2000, there was no significant argued that these jobs are the income literature available on the subject of street source for many poor rural comers in vending, and fewer studies were conducted urban areas, which not only have the than other sectors of the economy. opportunity to earn money for these The International Labor Office has people but also it provides low price extensive studies in this field, and the goods for lower class in the city. informal sector is divided into four