Fahimeh farsaei looks back at five decades of progress and setbacks for the womens movement there. Around 70% of irans population is under 30 years old and there is great potential for building a prosperous and free iran. Project muse promotes the creation and dissemination of essential. By exploring their stories, and hearing the views of both advocates for and opponenets of women s rights, anna. The hate u give by angie thomas, the handmaids tale by margaret atwood, notorious rbg. There are legal restrictions as well as heavily inculcated societal and cultural norms imposed on women. We bring these violations to the attention of the international. Iraqi womens rights and civil society activists consider this proposal to fundamentally question the basis of.
Womens rights in the middle east have always been a controversial issue. Iranian womens rights movement, is based on the iranian womens social movement for womens rights. Womens rights in iran during the years of the shah. Over history, this has taken the form of gaining property rights, the womens suffrage, or the right of women to vote, reproductive rights, and the right to work for for equal pay womens rights timeline. In honor of national women s history month, and in the spirit of nationwide girl power, her are 9 essential books about women s right. Its place is the home of every iranian who believes in equal rights. This is currently the strongest womens movement in the middle east. In addition to national legislation, the state has moved forward with other initiatives that restrict womens ability to participate in public life. Iran president rouhani urges equal rights for women bbc. Legally, the following laws apply to women in the islamic republic of iran. Womens equal rights in islam begin immediately in the qurans creation story.
Iranian women and the struggle for democracy i tehran. The politics of womens rights in iran arzoo osanloo on. Today gender roles have been shifted, making strong impact on society. Between 1962 and 1978, the iranian womens movement gained victories. Millions of women throughout the world suffer from violence, poverty and denial of their human rights because of their gender. Yet men are free to have many wives and even enter temporary marriages.
How the one million signatures campaign, winner of this years raw in war anna politkovskaya award, aims to change iranian society. In iran, women s pursuit of equal rights to men date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. The history of iranian womens quest for equal rights and their collective. The truth about iranian womens rights has been so underreported across the world that shes now developed her thesis into a book, jewels of allah. Womens inequality is gods commandment, in islam enshrined in immutable law by mohammad and eventually recorded in scripture. Inthe politics of womens rights in iran, arzoo osanloo explores how iranian women. Human rights watch is a 501c3 nonprofit registered in the us under ein. After reading this wellwritten book i came away knowing so much more about the. The husband is the head of the family, and his wife is legally bound to obey him.
Parsa was forced into exile and had to run for her life. Marina nemat, iranian activist and author of prisoner of tehran and after tehran, speaks to fair observers manuel langendorf about the situation of women and human rights issues in iran. There are five issues relating to womens empowerment. In the politics of womens rights in iran, arzoo osanloo explores how iranian women understand their rights. Many publications followed, by 1930s fourteen womens magazines were discussing rights, education and veiling. Problems with the campaign website interactivity limited mostly just articles about violations of womens rights in iran and arrests only accept signatures of iranians, so limited in reaching their goal as of yet, havent had the legal changes they seek gender discrimination. In a recent speech iranian president hassan rouhani acknowledged women must enjoy equal opportunity, equal protection and equal social rights. Ironically, the islamic republic has long pointed to the expansion of womens education as one of its crowning achievements. Created equal is a frank and clearsighted introduction to the current state of women s rights globally. Religion in general and islam in particular are womens enemy. Here is a timeline of important events in the struggle for. Womens rights and feminist movements in iran sur international. All people of iran, whatever the ethnic group or tribe to which they belong, enjoy equal rights.
Osanloo reveals that the postrevolutionary republic blended practices of a liberal republic with islamic principles of equality. Stone and blackwell also campaigned for wives to be. The constitution of islamic republic of iran iran chamber. Womens rights are severely restricted in iran, to the point where. It granted women equal rights in marriage and divorce, enhanced womens rights in. Recently, in iran, there have been signs that women are increasingly rejecting subordinate lives ruled by the mullahs. Women have campaigned for inheritance rights equal to mens, and for more rights to.
Article 20 all citizens of the country, both men and women, equally enjoy the protection of the law and enjoy all human, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, in. Protesters at the tehran university campus in 2009 ap. Womens rights in the islamic republic of iran essay. Anna horsbrughporter is a radio journalist who has worked for the bbc world service, bbc radio four and independent production companies for nearly twenty years amnesty international, founded in 1961, is a worldwide organization which campaigns for internationally recognized human rights for all. Magdalena mughrabi, deputy middle east and north africa director at amnesty international the renewed assault on those working on womens rights has been manifested most extremely by the arbitrary arrest and detention, since 6 june, of dr homa hoodfar, a canadianiranian national and prominent anthropology professor renowned for her decades of academic work on womens. In the past, there were distinctive differences between men and women, between their roles in society and their models of behavior. Why human rights in iran are getting worseand what to do. These regimes have had the power to dictate every aspect of womens lives, from voting rights to their daily dress code. Iranian women and the civil rights movement in iran. For while the family protection law, introduced by the shah to give women equal rights in issues such as divorce, was quickly revoked after his downfall, the islamic revolution allowed women to.
The audience for this book is people who are looking to learn specifically about the topic of feminism and women s struggle internationally with their rights. Empowerment is an active and multidimensional process which enables women to realize their full identity and powers in all spheres of life pillai, 1995. The center for human rights in iran chri is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights in iran. In iran, womens rights have changed according to the form of government ruling the country. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Womens rights in iran have fluctuated with each change in leader and regime for the past several decades. Women in iran before the revolution were not entirely treated equal to men, but despite some cultural perceptions of women being inferior to men, they had made progress to become socially equal under the shah. The human rights situation in iran has worsened since the governments crackdown on. Popular equal rights books meet your next favorite book.
Womens statistical status in the islamic republic of iran. One of the most important moments for women in iranian history came with their. I want to note here that islams holy book, the quran, has many similar stories to those found in the torah and the bible. The theocracys suspension of the family protection law enacted under the monarchy once again put women at the mercy of men in the family. In most countries under islamic states or under the influence of islam. In the 1900s, iranian women began protesting unjust laws and fighting for equality. The fight for womens rights in the past and present. Womens rights are severely restricted in iran, to the point where women are even forbidden from watching men s sports in stadiums. I also have faith that irans young people will correct the countrys problems. Although, laws have been implemented with great brutality, women have always resisted.
This 8session course covers the legal and social obstacles iranian women face in their struggle for equality. In may, 2014, police arrested four young men and three women who created a. In iran, womens rights are limited compared with those in most developed nations. In this summary of her chapter in the book womens movements in the global era the. The issue regarding womens rights is not a new one. Historical documents show that male and female workers received equal pay. Since the 1979 revolution, women have struggled to regain lost rights and win a larger role in society, despite a regime unfriendly to womens issues. Thus the activities of activist women were scattered through the decades of iranian history, while their roles shifted and their goals evolved but they were involved. Voices on women s rights is a nonfiction novel written by anna horsbrughporter alongside amnesty international.
A few significant progressive reforms made in family law in 1960s and 70s. This movement first emerged after the iranian constitutional revolution in 1910, the year in which the first women journal was published by women. At that time, the countrys leaders used a renewed discourse of womens rights to symbolize a shift away from the excesses of western liberalism. Although the rights of women have changed over the years, they have never really been equal to the rights of a man. Chri investigates and documents rights violations occurring throughout iran, relying on firsthand accounts to expose abuses that would otherwise go unreported. Heretic, whore, cia operative masih alinejad has been called all these things, and worse, by the iranian authorities. If a woman is caught committing adultery, she can be sentenced to death by stoning. Women actively participated in all the gatherings and demonstrations for a constitutional. The iranian islamic revolution of 1979 created a lasting affect on the societal role of women through modern day iran. Islam and womens rights overcoming inequality center.
Project muse the politics of womens rights in iran. Many consider khanoums book the first declaration of womens rights in the history of modern iran. The politics of womens rights in iran princeton university press. Womens rights is the fight for the idea that women should have equal rights with men. Irans president hassan rouhani urges equal opportunities and rights for women and condemns discrimination in a speech marking womens day. The iranian experiment of creating an islamic republic from frances postwar vision of. Historian nina ansary has uncovered the complex history of womens rights in iran. Areas of focus include the constitutions view towards women, a womans right to her body, freedom of movement, rights in marriage and divorce, protecting wives rights in marriage contracts, gender discrimination in the criminal law and womens access to leadership and decision. She tells radhika sanghani how patriarchal politics are peversely paving the way for feminism in the country. Iran has also established itself as playing a leading role for womens rights among. Gender equality, paid family leave, cedaw human rights watch.
After the 1979 revolution, iranian leaders transformed the state into an islamic republic. According to nayereh tohidi, women s movements in iran can be divided into eight periods. However, considerable changes have been found since those times. Womens rights are under threat in iraq the washington post. Womens rights activists want changes to family law last june, a group of womens rights activists arranged a peaceful demonstration in tehran to demand changes to family law and an end to stoning. The movement lasted until 1933 in which the last women s association was dissolved by the reza shah pahlavis government. Most notably, the state has promoted genderbased university admissions policies that are highly discriminatory to women. They advocated for wives to be able to legally exist outside of a husbands control, to inherit and own real estate, and have the right to their own wages. Womens rights in ancient persia sunday, may 18, 2008. Despite odds, womens movement persists in iran womens voices in iran have been agents of change through politics, literature, religion and poetry even though women continue to be targets of. Having iran as its standardbearer for womens rights.