Women In Iran
The struggle of women in Iran has always been heard from the point of view of anti-regime activists. However, few is told about pro-regime or Islamic feminists who are creating strategies to enhance the situation of women in Iran. The stories of Amene, Fateme, Ferial and Zenat portray the challenges women face to reach their goals in Iran.
“We, Islamic feminists, exist to help women,” says Kubrah Roshan Fekr, the head of Women Studies at the University of Tarbiat Mudaris in Tehran and a member of Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs.
The issue of women’s rights in Iran is highly propagated by western media outlets from the points of view of anti-regime or non-Islamic Iranian activists and feminists, neglecting other reformists. Islamic feminists or activists,who aspire for social, legal, political, economic and civil rights for women in Iran
For Fatema to become the CEO of one of the top five largest haulage companies in Iran was not an easy pursuit to drive on. The way society perceived women like her at that time was a major barrier for their goals. But despite the challenges she has faced, she made it to the top. The fact that Fatema has succeeded highlights the opportunities women in Iran enjoy, even in male-dominated work spheres.
“The Queen of Transport” Sayaede Fatema Moqimi, 55, the first licensed female for truck driving after the 1979 Revolution.
Moqimi is the CEO of Sadid Bar International Shipping and Transportation, one of the top five largest haulage companies in Iran, Vice President of Commission of Transport and Customs Transit in Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, and President of Women’s Council in Tehran Chamber of Commerce.
At first, Moqimi majored in mechanical engineering in Iran, but when the 1979 Revolution began, she flew to England for 4 years to continue her studies. When the Islamic Republic arose in 1980, she went back to Iran to hunt down her dreams but deep inside she knew that it was “impossible”. Her knowledge of English language provided her with a job opportunity as a translator in an international transportation company. After 5 months, she got promoted and became the Chairman of the Board of Directors. She drove trucks, worked on roads and went for carriage with other male drivers. “People’s imagination did not tolerate how a woman could go to carriage with other men and work on the roads,” she says.
People’s Imagination
Moqimi enjoyed her task, became a professional in the field of transportation and felt ready to open her own transportation company. She eagerly approached other companies and offices to register her own company but all she heard was “no you can not”. “I was like, why? Who says I can’t go? The law was not my obstacle; it was the culture, the society and how they perceived women,” she remarks. It was hard for people to accept women as supervisors, chiefs and managers. Usually, the process of registering a company takes a day. But for women like Moqimi, it took her three years to register her private shipping company Sadid Bar. Until 1998 and for the first time in the history of Syndicate of Transportation, Moghimi was elected as of the nine members of board of directors for three consecutive years. By 200l, there were 500,000 employed women who either managed their own businesses or supervised other employees. Moghimi’s company received Honorable Mention from the Ministry of Transportation and until this day she remains a CEO of a several transportation companies and a defender of women’s right.
A combination of Modernisation & Tradition
Unlike the western understanding of feminism, Islamic feminism preaches for equity not equality. That is, providing substantive equality for all its citizens, which treats them justly according to their needs and circumstances. According to Iran’s law, which is based on the Quran, men and women have the same human spiritual nature, but what differs is the roles of men and women. “Equality is not certain between men and women, it depends on which social arena, for example in education equality between men and women is a must” says Susan Basatani PH.D. a deputy for Strategic Planning at the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs and Women Studies Professor.
The New Muslim Woman
The Islamic Republic has set a dual role for Iranian women. The ideal female citizen of Iran is one who successfully responds to the demands of a traditional, Islamic society while preparing herself for the demands of modernization and the commands of a revolutionary society. Thus, the long-awaited type of woman is the one who accepts and respects her traditional roles as a wife and a mother, a responsible citizen who participates in socio-political affairs and a supporter of the Iranian revolution.
The dual role allotted to Iranian women is explained in President Khatami’s words. According to him, the central role of the woman at home “as the manager and master of the house” shouldn’t downgrade her from having a public life. However, her presence in the public sphere should not lead to the worsening of the family and undermining its power and solidity.
Women’s workforce participation rate went from 9.1 % in 1996 to 14 % in 2004 and then 17% in 2017. Job opportunities have not grown fast enough, and urban women’s unemployment doubled during the period 1996–2004 and was over 24.5 per cent (Sadeghi 2004). Not only have Iranians witnessed higher rates of female representation in the parliament and local councils, but they have also been exposed to female artists, filmmakers, journalists, publishers, authors, scholars, researchers, physicians, scientists, lawyers, managers, and university professors who have managed to survive and excel despite attempts by traditionalists to contain them.
Women in Iran encountered all kinds of job opportunities. They would teach, lead, transport, report, medicate and create. Yet, in the job market, the competition women have with men is unfair. “We are working on providing equal chances for Iranian women and men when applying for jobs and to let their quality of performance and skills judge their abilities, not their gender.” declares Mrs. Basatani.
For Amene, journalism in Iran is a challenging task for women. The discrimination she has encountered in her childhood, college and then in work, brought out of her a person who demands equal opportunities for men and women in spheres of work, politics and law, AKA a feminist.
Amena Sharifkhan, 31, journalist at Shargh Newspaper, a reformist newspaper in Iran. Her personal experience with her family, university, job and the state has made her become a feminist.
Inside of Shargh Newspaper, Amene sits there among her male and female colleagues and types what could be relevant for today’s news. Suddenly, the compulsory veil she’s wearing falls of her hair and she involuntarily covers her hair back. Liberal women like Amene in Iran have extensively strapped the limits of the official dress code, wearing loose head scarves that don’t completely cover their hair. For Amene, the hijab law is not what made her join the feminist club but rather the discrimination women face within society and the political structure.
Amena was an active girl since her childhood. Her innocence prevented her from knowing the difference between a boy and girl but her family did. When her feminine features got exposed to her parent’s sight, the “NO’s” and “SHOULDN’TS” increased. “I fought a lot,” she says, to change her parent’s conservative thoughts and how they perceived women.
Fifteen years ago, ever since she started pursuing her bachelor in Communication, Amene has faced discrimination within her career, “I was not allowed to publish reports or interviews about leading women not raise awareness among other women,” she said.
Inside Shargh institution, women and men reporters work on the same floor, but when the work becomes outside in official places, male reporters are way higher. Inside official places, the dress code of women must be respected, and to avoid any problems, the editor in chief prefers to send a male reporter to cover any official event. For Amena, her gender is a limiting factor for her ability in reporting and publishing and that is why she chose to be a feminist.
Amene understands feminism as an “on going battle” with gender based laws in Iran. Her battle of rights focus on custody, marriage and divorce laws, where women are put in a weaker position. “Man can easily divorce his wife, however she can not,” says Amene. In response to her concern, lawyer Mahdavi states argues that “the process of divorce in Iran takes 3–6 months in court… A man can’t divorce his wife without her acceptance and vice versa,”.
Unlike the western understanding of feminism, Islamic feminism preaches for equity not equality. According to Iran’s law, which is based on the Quran, men and women have the same human spiritual nature, but what differs is the roles of men and women. “Equality is not certain between men and women, it depends on which social arena, for example in education equality between men and women is a must” says Susan Basatani PH.D. a deputy for Strategic Planning at the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs and Women Studies Professor.
One primary slogan used during the Iranian 1979 revolution was “Neither west nor east, only Islamic Republic”. “The culture we look up for is deprived of eastern or western principles, even when we talk about women,” says Monira Taheri, director of Women’s Department at the Iranian Presidency. “Unlike Saudi Arabia, we allow women to participate in the public sphere, and unlike USA, we don’t objectify or sexualize women.”
However, Amene noted that the participation of women in public spheres is still young. For example, in the political sphere, out of 290 parliamentarians, there are 17 women only.
Islamic feminists acknowledge the challenges women face in Iran, “When you discuss women’s issues, it depends on which socio-economic sphere you’re studying. For example, education, inheritance, attending university and life expectations for women are spheres that spotted change and growth. However, in political and economic spheres, not much growth was recognized… but we are creating strategies to empower women politicaly,” reports Susan PH.D.
Amene strongly believes that it’s her duty to raise the voices of women. On her Twitter page @amene, with 51.1K follower, she is able to fulfill her duty by tweeting about leading women in Iran.
Her tweets focus on female politicians, activists, players, musicians, mothers, workers and graduates.
Unlike what other activists believe, pro-regime activists note that the Iranian government does not want to limit women; it wants to protect them. The state aims to make women feel human and not like objects. “That’s why in Iran there are a lot of parks, sports complexes, and indoor and outdoor resorts made specifically for women,” says Monireh Taheri, director of Women’s Department at the Iranian Presidency.
The Islamic state looks up at the hijab as a way to protect a woman’s purity and to limit women’s objectification. But what about women who are non-Muslims? Are their beliefs taken into consideration? Well, Islam is the religion of 99.4% of Iranians, therefore non-Muslims are a minority, and since they are using Iran’s facilities, then under its protection they must respect its rules. Nevertheless, “the concept of modesty and hijab is not strange for Christians and Jews,” says Taheri. But, in private places, Iranians are allowed to practice any of their personal beliefs.
Hazrat Khadija, the wife of Prophet Muhammad was the first person to endorse Islam after him. At that time, Khadija was a business woman and by her fortune she helped her husband Muhammad in spreading the message of Islam. Hazrat Khadjia has become a role model for Islamic feminists. The goal set for women by the Islamic Republic is driven from Hazrat Khadija’s character; that is, to improve their circumstances through education and increase women’s participation in the socio-economic affairs of the society and the family while preserving the traditional and religious values.
Islamic feminists focus primarily on providing education for girls. “Some girls don’t go to schools due to poverty. We are working on providing opportunities for the less fortune girls by providing more programs, financial aids and setting laws that force education and we are trying to have policies that help drop outs to regain their education,” said Susan.
Usually people from the upper class have more opportunities in achieving success for they are more likely to get better education and then better job opportunities. That is in the case of Ferial Mostofi who now owns a trading companies in Iran. But for her, an opportunity without a will is meaningless.
Ferial Mostofi, 63, a member of the Assembly at Tehran Chamber of Commerce, the largest parliament for private sector in Iran.
Mostofi comes from Khuzestan, an Iranian province in the South. Khuzestan is considered a religious and conservative city. Within this atmosphere, never for a day her parents treated her differently from her brother. The history of her family goes back 700 years and her great-grand father was a province governor. Mainly, she belonged to the aristocrat upper class which she believes was one of the reasons why society did not interfere with her goals.
After graduating from school in Iran, Ferial went to England to complete her bachelor’s degree and then her master’s degree. In 1975, she came back to Iran and taught economics in universities for two years. When the 1979 Revolution started, universities closed and Ferial did not want to rest. She flew back to England and registered her own trading company. She started trading with Middle eastern countries and then established her first branch in Paris. Trading was not enough to for her, “I was ambitious for management,” she said. The perfect place for her to direct projects was Iran, “There were not much projects in Europe because it was established already,” she added. After 10 years outside her national country and as soon as the war ended, Mostofi went back to Iran to pursue her lifetime dream. “I never wanted to be employed someone, I wanted my own company,” said Mostofi.
People around her thought her dream was unreachable due to religious laws and new ordinances issued by the clerics under the Khomeini rule. She knew that disappointment, just like success, would be a possibility. And if so, she would return to London. Unlike what was preached, “the doors were open” she said.
Mostofi acknowledges the opportunities that she had were different than those available for other women, “a woman who belongs to a less powerful family had to fight more” she said. But she also believes that no matter what situation a person undergoes, with a confident spirit, magic can happen.
Throughout Mostofi’s journey, her work capability was also doubted by people. “People believed that women were not as strong as men and this was present in the blood of women,” which is why until this day women face a lot of struggle achieving their goals.
Mostofi is an example of women in Iran who come from a privileged family and enter the work sphere in a smoother way than other less fortune women. However, the state tries to elevate economic difference by providing equal opportunity in education. “Some of them don’t go to schools due to poverty… we are trying to have policies that help those girls.” The competent authority of women’s issue acknowledges that education is a basic human right and aiming to fulfill the right of every citizen by providing more programs, financial aids and setting laws that force education. However, class struggle was not the only case. “We are trying to have policies that help those drop outs and let them go and have their education,” states Susan Basatani PH.D. a deputy for Strategic Planning at the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs and a Women Studies Professor.
Class difference and unequal socio-economic status can have an effect on a women’s opportunity in life. But that does not mean that less fortune women are less likely to enter the job market. Zenat Qasimi is an example of women who come from less privileged families, yet entered the job market of a male dominated work sphere.
Zenat Qasimi, 39, a licensed female bus driver. On a daily basis, she drives 450 km traveling on Esfahan-Tehran line by a 12-meter bus. She is a wife, a mother and a breadwinner.
The fears her family expressed did not stand as an obstacle in her pursuit of breadwinning. She had an aim and it was to support and provide for her own family financially. She enjoys the purpose behind her duty which believes that men can not obtain this feeling. “It’s different when a woman takes a role in supporting her family, especially when working in a male-dominated work sphere,” the licensed by the Ministry of Roads female bus driver, Mrs. Zenat declares.
Her son feared the risks his mother could go through. However, her courageous daughter looks up at Zenat as superwoman that could do the impossible. The dominant atmosphere inside her family was supportive to Zenat, “they did not knock someone with a purpose,” she speaks.
When kids want to choose a bus, some did not come close to hers. Parents fear to send their kids with a female bus driver believing that she would not be able to drive their kids safely. People doubted the capability of a women driving a 12-meter bus at night. For them it was risky.
Due to her feminine looks, people thought she was too girly to drive a bus, “people did not believe that femininity and capability can mix,” she said.
Usually, before she takes off, men wondered if it was possible for her to drive 450 km safely. But once she lands, they regret their biased judgments. The doubts of people made Zenat even more persistent on showing her skills.
In her 450 km rides she rests in the back of her bus. But, in longer rides such as Tehran-Mashhad line about 736 km, she rests in a hotel with her male colleagues but each in separate area.
Mrs. Zenat is looked up as a brave woman. Her gender was never an excuse to sit back, “sometimes a woman can give or do better than a man.” emphasizes Mrs. Zenat Qasimi.
History of Women in Iran
Women in Iran of different ideologies, pro-regime, reformist and anit-regime, and classes of rich and poor, have come together to seek equality in public arenas.
The state of Iranian women is a century long issue. From the time of Reza Shah until this day, women in Iran went through different systems that each defined women’s rights differently.
In details, the 1905-2018 timeline below reports the history of women in Iran.
