EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF FEMALE IDENTITY IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Women comprise one of the major population groups of any society that have been studied separately in recent decades due to their specific sexual, social, economic, and cultural traits. They make up half of the country's population, so their potential abilities and injuries should not be neglected. Identity is a complex concept in social sciences that it is very difficult to reach a consensus on its definition. The aim of this study was to explore female identity through the systematic review of the literature. This was a systematic review in which the sources addressing female identity and its characteristics available in credible Persian and English databases were analyzed. Then an operational definition was provided for the concept under study. To analyze the data, the text of each source was read carefully, and each sentence, phrase, or words contributing to the meaning, definition, attributes, and measurement of the concept were collected in a separate Microsoft Word file. In the next step, the data collected were coded and finally categorized. The features of the concept of female identity in reproductive health appeared in three themes: adaptation to the changes of the identity concept based on individual, temporal, and spatial conditions, facing life crises, and peace arising from constructive interactions.Female identity in reproductive health is a dynamic, complex, and multidimensional concept.