Despite the Shah’s much touted advocacy of women’s rights, Iranian women toiled under the rankest social, legal and economic discrimination, duly sanctioned by Islamic law. Women in Iran began agitating for increased rights in the late 19th Century. She tells Radhika Sanghani how patriarchal politics are peversely paving the way for feminism in the country Indeed, all women in Iran, irrespective of their education, social status, ethnicity, age, religious, or political beliefs, face discrimination under the law, which does not treat them as citizens with equal rights. Women were purged from government positions. In Ghezellu words, an Iranian women’s rights and LGBTQ activist, “The ideology of Islam is … At that time, the country's leaders used a renewed discourse of women's rights to symbolize a shift away from the … In Iran, marriage laws empower the husband so that he can have multiple wives, while the woman is forced into the subjugating role of raising children and little else. Stay updated on all current Iranian women news from the opposition's official website. Iran is one of just six UN member states that have not signed the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, and its national legislation enshrines many barriers to accessing basic rights in areas such as employment, marriage and citizenship. There is a large disparity when comparing women's rights in Iran and in the West: Iranian women are still denied their basic fundamental rights. But the advent of Ayatollah Khomeini and his conservative revolution in 1979 caused a drastic reverse in the progress of Iranian women. Lecture 4 – Women’s Rights in Marriage. Women accused of adultery have to prove their innocence, rather than the accuser proving their guilt, and if convicted they may be executed by stoning. Yet their dedication to full … Learn about Iranian laws pertaining to marriage, including the age of marital consent (originally nine, but later raised to … For example, Shirin Abadi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her brave actions in Iran, leading protests to become a judge. Laws such as the mandatory hijab rule have been imposed on women to enforce a strict religious ideology, regardless of the beliefs of the women themselves. Historian Nina Ansary has uncovered the complex history of women's rights in Iran. Her thoughts and actions are based on respect for women's fundamental freedoms, rights and equality before the law (such as the freedom of choosing one’s own attire), equal participation in political leadership. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high among Iranian women, and depression is the number one disease affecting Iranian women. Women’s leadership in the PMOI is indispensable to women’s equality in society October 21, 2020 Sarvnaz Chitsaz: Role of Iranian women crucial in struggle to free Iran Women's rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline 2015: Women can vote and get elected. Iran’s influential rival in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, under Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, has introduced a catalog of reforms in recent years pertaining to women’s rights and has taken action to repeal many of the restrictions that curtail women’s civil and social liberties. Its Commission on the Status of Women “is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women [and] is instrumental in promoting women’s rights.” So, following hot on the heels of International Women’s … It takes the testimony of two women to equal the testimony of one man in court. This article is an edited version of a chapter from the book Women’s Movements in the Global Era – The Power of Local Feminisms (Westview Press, 2016).. Nayereh Tohidi. The 1979 revolution politicized the mass of Iranian women. But as Iranian women continue to participate in the … Once married, women give up the … In Saudi Arabia's 2015 municipal elections, women were able to vote and run for office for the first time. President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Maryam Rajavi has shared the Iranian Resistance’s viewpoints on bettering women’s rights in future Iran. The revised bill was criticized by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) because it “does not provide effective and sufficient guarantees to protect women against violence and, in many cases, promotes and supports stereotypical, discriminatory, and sexist views toward women.” Nonetheless, women in Iran continue to face weaker rights today than they did in 1978. (Bettmann Archives/Getty Images) All females, including girls in first grade, were forced to observe the … Since the 1979 revolution, women have struggled to regain lost rights and win a larger role in society, despite a regime unfriendly to women’s issues. But women’s expectations were not realized. Most protests have been unsuccessful but women are fighting more and more for rights and women's rights activists are being recognized all around the world. This topic will be covered in two parts. A new law allowed Iranian women married to men with foreign nationality to pass on Iranian citizenship to their children, but women continued to face discrimination and the authorities intensified their crackdown against women’s rights defenders campaigning against forced veiling laws. Protesters against the veil, protected by young men, march in central Tehran during demonstrations for women's rights on March 10, 1979. Nothing in Iran expresses this sharp dividing line between the classes more clearly than the movement for women’s emancipation. Hundreds served on elected local councils and millions were in the workforce, including as judges, civil servants, ambassadors and police officers.. New Fact Sheet Highlights Women's Issues for Journalists and Researchers Women in Iran: An Untapped Resource Held Back by Discrimination January 6, 2020—Women in Iran are among the Middle East’s most educated and accomplished, yet they continue to face severe rights violations and …