Social Issues

Overview of Social Issues in Persian

In this chapter you meet key vocabulary and typical phrases used when talking about social issues in Persian. At B2 level you should be able to follow news, express opinions, and connect ideas, even if you do not yet master every detail of specialized language. We will look at common social topics, show how they usually appear in Persian, and give you patterns that you can adapt.

Remember that detailed argumentation and advanced nuance will appear in later chapters. Here the focus is on central themes, useful words, and natural expressions that you will often see in the media and in conversations about society.

Talking about “Society” and “Social Problems”

When Persian speakers talk about social issues, a few core words appear again and again. The word for “society” is very frequent:

جامعه /jâmeʿe/ society
مسئله‌ اجتماعی /masʔale-ye ejtemâʿi/ social issue, social problem
مشکل‌ اجتماعی /moškel-e ejtemâʿi/ social problem

The word اجتماعی /ejtemâʿi/ means “social.” To say “social problems” you usually say مشکلاتِ اجتماعی /moškelât-e ejtemâʿi/ or مشکلاتِ جامعه /moškelât-e jâmeʿe/.

You often hear sentences like:

در جامعه‌ی ما مشکلاتِ اجتماعی زیادی وجود دارد.
/dar jâmeʿe-ye mâ moškelât-e ejtemâʿi-ye ziyâdi vojûd dârad./
In our society there are many social problems.

To sound more formal, you may hear the phrase معضلاتِ اجتماعی /moʿzelât-e ejtemâʿi/ for “social challenges / serious social problems.”

Poverty, Inequality, and Welfare

One of the most common social topics is poverty and inequality. Some key words:

فقر /faqr/ poverty
فقیر /faqir/ poor (person or adjective)
ثروت /servat/ wealth
ثروتمند /servatmand/ wealthy, rich
نابرابری /nâbarâbari/ inequality
عدالتِ اجتماعی /ʿedâlat-e ejtemâʿi/ social justice
تبعیض /tabʿiz/ discrimination
تبعیضِ نژادی /tabʿiz-e nežâdi/ racial discrimination
تبعیضِ جنسیتی /tabʿiz-e jensiati/ gender discrimination

You can describe poverty in simple but formal ways:

فقر یکی از مهم‌ترین مشکلاتِ جامعه است.
/faqr yeki az mohem-tarin moškelât-e jâmeʿe ast./
Poverty is one of the most important problems of society.

نابرابریِ اقتصادی در سال‌های اخیر افزایش پیدا کرده است.
/nâbarâbari-ye eqtesâdi dar sâlhâ-ye akhir afzâyeš peydâ karde ast./
Economic inequality has increased in recent years.

The idea of “welfare” or “social services” is often expressed with:

رفاه /refâh/ welfare, comfort
رفاهِ اجتماعی /refâh-e ejtemâʿi/ social welfare
خدماتِ اجتماعی /xedamât-e ejtemâʿi/ social services
بیمه /bime/ insurance
بیمه‌ی درمانی /bime-ye darmâni/ health insurance

You can combine these words with verbs like تأمین کردن /taʔmin kardan/ “to provide, to secure” and افزایش دادن /afzâyeš dâdan/ “to increase.”

دولت باید رفاهِ اجتماعی را تأمین کند.
/dolat bâyad refâh-e ejtemâʿi râ taʔmin konad./
The government must provide social welfare.

Work, Unemployment, and Migration

Issues related to work and jobs are central in social discussions. You already know basic job vocabulary from earlier levels, so here we focus on “issues.”

The key words are:

بیکاری /bikâri/ unemployment
بیکار /bikâr/ unemployed
اشتغال /ešteqâl/ employment
فرصتِ شغلی /forsat-e šoqli/ job opportunity
مهاجرت /mohâjerat/ migration
مهاجر /mohâjer/ migrant
مهاجرتِ مغزها /mohâjerat-e maqzhâ/ brain drain

To talk about unemployment:

بیکاری در بینِ جوانان بسیار بالاست.
/bikâri dar beyn-e javânân besyâr bâlâst./
Unemployment among young people is very high.

The preposition در بینِ /dar beyn-e/ “among” is very useful when you want to talk about which group is affected.

For migration, typical phrases are:

مهاجرت به شهرهای بزرگ ادامه دارد.
/mohâjerat be šahrhâ-ye bozorg edâme dârad./
Migration to big cities continues.

یکی از مشکلاتِ اصلیِ کشور، مهاجرتِ مغزهاست.
/yeki az moškelât-e asli-ye kešvar, mohâjerat-e maqzhâst./
One of the main problems of the country is brain drain.

Education and Youth Issues

Education is often seen as key to solving social problems. Important words:

آموزش /âmûzeš/ education (general)
تحصیل /tahsil/ formal study
نظامِ آموزشی /nezâm-e âmûzeši/ education system
دانش‌آموز /dânešâmuz/ school student
دانشجو /dânešjû/ university student
نسلِ جوان /nasl-e javân/ young generation
جوانان /javânân/ the youth

Many “youth issues” are described with the words مشکلاتِ جوانان /moškelât-e javânân/ “problems of the youth.”

For example:

آموزشِ باکیفیت برای همه در دسترس نیست.
/âmûzeš-e bâkeyfiyat barâye hame dar dastras nist./
Quality education is not accessible for everyone.

فشارِ درسی و بیکاری دو مشکلِ مهمِ جوانان هستند.
/fešâr-e darsi va bikâri do moškel-e mohem-e javânân hastand./
Study pressure and unemployment are two important problems of young people.

Accessibility is usually expressed with در دسترس بودن /dar dastras budan/ “to be accessible, to be available.”

Health, Addiction, and Public Safety

Health is both a personal and a social topic in Persian. You already know basic health vocabulary, so here we focus on social aspects:

سلامتِ عمومی /salâmat-e omumi/ public health
بهداشت /behdâšt/ hygiene, public health
اعتیاد /eʿtiyâd/ addiction
مصرفِ موادِ مخدر /masraf-e mavâdd-e moxadder/ use of drugs
جرم /jorm/ crime
جرایم /jarâʾem/ crimes
خشونت /xošunat/ violence

You often see combinations like:

سلامتِ روان /salâmat-e ravân/ mental health
مشکلاتِ روحی /moškelât-e ruhi/ psychological problems

Some typical sentences:

اعتیاد یکی از مهم‌ترین معضلاتِ اجتماعی است.
/eʿtiyâd yeki az mohem-tarin moʿzelât-e ejtemâʿi ast./
Addiction is one of the most serious social problems.

خشونت علیهِ زنان در بعضی از جوامع هنوز یک مشکلِ جدّی است.
/xošunat ʿaleyhe zanân dar baʿzi az javâme hanuz yek moškel-e jeddi ast./
Violence against women is still a serious problem in some societies.

Note the phrase علیهِ /ʿaleyhe/ “against,” very common with social issues such as violence, discrimination, or crimes against certain groups.

Women’s Rights and Gender Issues

Gender and women’s rights are frequent topics in Persian media and discussions. Some important words:

حقوقِ زنان /hoqûq-e zanân/ women’s rights
حقوقِ بشر /hoqûq-e bašar/ human rights
حقوقِ کودکان /hoqûq-e kudakân/ children’s rights
برابریِ جنسیتی /barâbari-ye jensiati/ gender equality
نقشِ زنان /naqš-e zanân/ the role of women
خشونت علیهِ زنان /xošunat ʿaleyhe zanân/ violence against women

To say “rights are violated” you see verbs like نقض شدن /naqz šodan/ “to be violated” or پایمال شدن /pâymâl šodan/ “to be trampled / disregarded.”

در بعضی موارد، حقوقِ زنان نادیده گرفته می‌شود.
/dar baʿzi mavâred, hoqûq-e zanân nâdide gerefte mi-šavad./
In some cases, women’s rights are ignored.

برابریِ فرصت‌ها برای زنان و مردان یک موضوعِ مهمِ اجتماعی است.
/barâbari-ye forsat-hâ barâye zanân va mardân yek mozûʿ-e mohem-e ejtemâʿi ast./
Equality of opportunities for women and men is an important social issue.

Environment as a Social Issue

Environmental problems are often described as social rather than only natural, because they affect people’s lives and require policy. Key words:

محیطِ زیست /mohit-e zist/ environment
آلودگی /âludegi/ pollution
آلودگیِ هوا /âludegi-ye havâ/ air pollution
کمبودِ آب /kambud-e âb/ water shortage
تغییرِ اقلیم /taqir-e eqlim/ climate change (formal)
گرمایشِ زمین /garmâyeš-e zamin/ global warming

Persian news often uses the structure:

با مشکلِ X روبه‌رو بودن /bâ moškel-e X ruberu budan/
“to face the problem of X.”

بسیاری از شهرهای بزرگ با آلودگیِ هوا روبه‌رو هستند.
/besyâri az šahrhâ-ye bozorg bâ âludegi-ye havâ ruberu hastand./
Many big cities are facing air pollution.

کمبودِ آب به یک بحرانِ جدّی تبدیل شده است.
/kambud-e âb be yek bohrân-e jeddi tabdil šode ast./
Water shortage has turned into a serious crisis.

The word بحران /bohrân/ “crisis” is very productive: بحرانِ اقتصادی, بحرانِ اجتماعی, بحرانِ محیطِ زیست.

Crime, Law, and Social Order

Crime and legal issues connect to social order and safety. Some useful vocabulary:

جرم /jorm/ crime
جرایم /jarâʾem/ crimes
خلاف /xelâf/ offense, wrongdoing
قانون /qânun/ law
قوانین /qavânin/ laws
نقضِ قانون /naqz-e qânun/ violation of the law
نظامِ قضایی /nezâm-e qazâyi/ judicial system
نظامِ کیفری /nezâm-e keyfari/ criminal justice system

To talk about crime and punishment:

میزانِ جرم در بعضی مناطق افزایش یافته است.
/mizân-e jorm dar baʿzi manâteq afzâyeš yâfte ast./
The level of crime has increased in some areas.

اجرایِ عادلانه‌ی قانون برایِ اعتمادِ مردم ضروری است.
/ejrâ-ye âdelâne-ye qânun barâye eʿtemâd-e mardom zaruri ast./
Fair implementation of the law is necessary for people’s trust.

The phrase اجرای قانون /ejrâ-ye qânun/ “implementation of the law” and اعتمادِ مردم /eʿtemâd-e mardom/ “people’s trust” appear often in discussions of social order.

Human Rights, Freedom, and Participation

Social issues are also discussed in terms of rights and participation in society.

حقوقِ بشر /hoqûq-e bašar/ human rights
آزادی /âzâdi/ freedom
آزادیِ بیان /âzâdi-ye bayân/ freedom of speech
آزادیِ مذهب /âzâdi-ye mazhab/ freedom of religion
آزادیِ مطبوعات /âzâdi-ye matbuʿât/ freedom of the press
مشارکتِ اجتماعی /mošârekat-e ejtemâʿi/ social participation
مشارکتِ سیاسی /mošârekat-e siâsi/ political participation

There is a common pattern:

تضمین کردن /tazmin kardan/ to guarantee
رعایت کردن /raʿâyat kardan/ to respect, to observe

For example:

حقوقِ بشر باید در همه‌ی کشورها رعایت شود.
/hoqûq-e bašar bâyad dar hame-ye kešvarhâ raʿâyat šavad./
Human rights must be respected in all countries.

آزادیِ بیان یکی از پایه‌هایِ یک جامعه‌ی دموکراتیک است.
/âzâdi-ye bayân yeki az pâyehâ-ye yek jâmeʿe-ye demokratik ast./
Freedom of speech is one of the foundations of a democratic society.

Causes, Effects, and Solutions

At B2 level, you should link problems to causes and consequences, and then suggest solutions. Persian uses several very common abstract nouns:

علت /ʿellat/ cause
دلایل /dalâyel/ reasons
پیامد /payâmad/ consequence
اثرات /asarât/ effects
راه‌حل /râh-hal/ solution
راه‌حل‌هایِ ممکن /râh-hal-hâ-ye momken/ possible solutions

Linking ideas is essential. You already know conjunctions from earlier chapters, so here we focus on how they appear with social topics.

For causes, you can use:

به دلیلِ X /be dalil-e X/ because of X
به خاطرِ X /be xâter-e X/ because of X
در نتیجه‌ی X /dar natije-ye X/ as a result of X

For example:

بسیاری از مشکلاتِ اجتماعی به دلیلِ فقر و نابرابری است.
/besyâri az moškelât-e ejtemâʿi be dalil-e faqr o nâbarâbari ast./
Many social problems are because of poverty and inequality.

افزایشِ بیکاری در نتیجه‌ی بحرانِ اقتصادی است.
/afzâyeš-e bikâri dar natije-ye bohrân-e eqtesâdi ast./
The increase in unemployment is a result of the economic crisis.

To suggest solutions, common phrases are:

برایِ حلِ این مشکل، باید ...
/barâye hal-e in moškel, bâyad .../
To solve this problem, (we) must ...

برایِ کاهشِ X، لازم است که ...
/barâye kâheš-e X, lâzem ast ke .../
To reduce X, it is necessary that ...

For example:

برایِ کاهشِ خشونت، آموزشِ درست و اطلاع‌رسانی لازم است.
/barâye kâheš-e xošunat, âmûzeš-e dorost va etelâʿresâni lâzem ast./
To reduce violence, proper education and information are necessary.

Expressing Opinions on Social Issues

B2 conversations about social issues require clear opinion markers. In this chapter we focus on typical expressions that frequently appear with the topics above.

Useful opinion phrases:

به نظرِ من ...
/be nazar-e man .../
In my opinion ...

از نظرِ من ...
/az nazar-e man .../
From my point of view ...

فکر می‌کنم که ...
/fekr mikonam ke .../
I think that ...

معتقدم که ...
/moʿtaqedam ke .../
I believe that ... (more formal)

You can combine them with social vocabulary:

به نظرِ من، آموزشِ رایگان می‌تواند نابرابریِ اجتماعی را کاهش دهد.
/be nazar-e man, âmûzeš-e râygân mitavânad nâbarâbari-ye ejtemâʿi râ kâheš dahad./
In my opinion, free education can reduce social inequality.

فکر می‌کنم فقر و بیکاری مهم‌ترین دلایلِ مهاجرتِ جوانان هستند.
/fekr mikonam faqr o bikâri mohem-tarin dalâyel-e mohâjerat-e javânân hastand./
I think poverty and unemployment are the most important reasons for the migration of young people.

To talk about “solutions,” you can evaluate them:

راه‌حلِ خوبی است.
/râh-hal-e xubi ast./
It is a good solution.

راه‌حلِ کوتاه‌مدت است.
/râh-hal-e kutâh-moddat ast./
It is a short-term solution.

Typical Media Language for Social Issues

Media texts about social issues often use a slightly formal vocabulary. Some of the most useful words and structures are:

چالش /çâleš/ challenge
چالش‌هایِ اجتماعی /çâleš-hâ-ye ejtemâʿi/ social challenges
مسائلِ پیچیده /masâʔel-e pičide/ complex issues
وضعیت /vazʿiyat/ situation
شرایط /šarâyet/ conditions
گزارش /gozâreš/ report
نشان می‌دهد که ... /nešân midahad ke .../ shows that ...

For example:

این گزارش نشان می‌دهد که شرایطِ زندگیِ بسیاری از مردم سخت شده است.
/in gozâreš nešân midahad ke šarâyet-e zendegi-ye besyâri az mardom saxt šode ast./
This report shows that the living conditions of many people have become difficult.

جامعه با چالش‌هایِ پیچیده‌ای روبه‌رو است.
/jâmeʿe bâ çâleš-hâ-ye pičide-i ruberu ast./
Society is facing complex challenges.

These words help you understand newspaper articles and TV discussions about social issues, and also make your own Persian sound more natural and educated.

Vocabulary Table