The Women of Iran

Halima Bareentto

Adrienne Brown                     

WST-250

10/17/13

The Women of Iran

Prior to 1976, Iran had long been ally of the west since the toppling of a democratically elected prime minister with the Shah of Iran. A state of revolt soon took place which instilled an Islamic government (Sharia Law). Since the instilment of the Islamic government, there have been many religious and cultural barriers that woman in Iran face on a daily basis such as the mandatory wear of the Hijab, strict marriage laws, and little to no say in the government . Iran, as of date is one of the most scrutinized nations in the Middle East. The status and role of woman has increasingly changed in the country and has been labeled as incredibly misogynistic by western powers since the Revolution in 1977. Iran has been lumped into the other countless Middle Eastern countries whose human rights abuses against women have been documented by agencies such as Amnesty International and the U.N. But the situation regarding Iran is much more complex than most Middle Eastern countries. Iranian women suffer at the hands of a patriarchal society in regards to legal and cultural freedom but their desire for equality is strong as evident by the fact that 2/3 of university students are women. Many strides like this are being made to institute more gender equality in Iran

Iranian women are granted little to no freedoms regarding family matters. Women can marry as young as the age 13, and the violation of this law can result in criminal consequences. Article 646 of the former Penal Code states: “Marriage before puberty without the permission of the guardian is forbidden. If a man violates Article 1041 of the Civil Code and marries a girl before she reaches the age of puberty, he shall be sentenced to six months to two years’ ta’zir imprisonment.” There is little information regarding what the ages these marriage parties are but there is wide consensus that many girls who marry at the age of 13 are marrying men who are significantly older than them. This trend is also very common in rural regions where there is little oversight in the apprehending of the law. The natural guardian of the girl (father or paternal grandfather) can grant a marriage to the girl without her consent; this can be applied to even adult women. Boys, however do not need a natural guardian whether they are a minor or an adult. The marriage is dependent on whether or not the girl’s virginity is still intact. Another restriction is the religion of the spouse. According to Sharia Law (which Iran is under) a man can marry a non-Muslim (must be Christian or Jewish) as long as they have the intention to bring Islam to their lives later. This is not the case for women. Women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men. There are even more barriers for a woman to marry a foreign national. Even if there is no religious difference between the two, she must seek special permission from the government. Under Iranian law, men can take up to four wives, while women can only have one husband. A woman can be granted a divorce if she did not express agreement over her husband taking a second wife. Also, the assets must be split between each wife equally. According to article 16 of Iranian law there are certain mandates that must be met before a man can take a second wife; “First wife’s consent, inability of first wife in performing marital duties, non-submission of the first wife to the husband, affliction of the wife to insanity or other difficulty to cure diseases, conviction of the wife according to article, addiction of the wife according to article, wife’s abandonment of family life, wife’s infertility, disappearance of the wife according to article.” Under Islamic law, marriage is seen as a contract so there are certain expectations that each party must meet. If a woman fails to meet her expectation of sexual submission and obedience she could lose her rights in the marriage. The same goes to men. If a man fails to provide his wife’s dowry, or provide financial and health stability to his spouse, he could be sued by his wife and sent to jail, or required to pay the fine by the courts. Honor killings are usually done by a spouse, brother, or father against a female who has somehow “dishonored” the family by either refusing an arranged marriage, engaging in pre-marital sex, and extramarital affairs. These killings are a presence in some parts of Iran. Due to little reporting by the government there isn’t a clear cut number on how many honor killings take place a year but some reports put an average of 50 committed in 2008-2009. Under Sharia Law, a father cannot be jailed for more than 3 to 5 years for killing his child, and if a brother were to commit the honor killing, the girl’s next of kin could decide whether he be punished or forgiven for his crime. This leaves little to no legal ramifications for those who commit these honor killings and continues to perpetuate this vicious and inhumane cycle. 

There has been a rapid decline in fertility in Iran since 1977; this decline can be correlated with the national family program which ranks as one of the top family planning programs in the world. The family planning services provide a free of charge service for contraceptives efforts such as condoms, pills, IUD, and injections. The gap in contraceptive use has also been significantly smaller between urban and rural areas because women all over the nation now have access to these family planning centers and counseling options. The only condom factory in the Middle East is in Iran. Also, according to the “Penguin Atlas of Woman” by John Seager, more than 75% of married woman have been using modern contraception since 2000.

Distribution of Iranian Women (Married of Reproductive Age) Using Contraception, by Method

            Despite strides in reproduction rights in Iran, women are still facing gender inequalities when it comes to work and roles in government. Women make up 15% of the working population, which is the lowest in the Middle East. Women can be prevented from working by her husband or her family, and women are also paid significantly less than man and are usually working in low-level jobs. Currently, and prior to the Islamic Revolution Iranian women have struggled to find there voice in the government. Prime Minister Ahmadinejad appointed a woman as to be his Minister of Health and Medical Education, marking the first time a woman to serve as minister under the Islamic government.

In conclusion, there have been much headway in building a more gender equal society in Iran but there are still wide gaps in the expectations between men and woman. Heavy cultural and religious factors play too much of a role in women that deters there progress as positive members of society. There will never be anything close to equal until the Iranian government separates religion from law. This will leave women with more rights in the way they wish to live and will hold individuals accountable who try to stop this.

Works Cited

Samanian, Faezeh. "The (Slow) Rise of Iran's Women." The Diplomat. The Diplomat, 22 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Nayyeri, Mohammad H. "Gender Inequality and Discrimination: The Case of Iranian Women."Http://iranhrdc.org. Iran Human Rights Documentation Center, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Roudi, Farzaneh. "Youth, Women's Rights, and Political Change in Iran." Youth, Women's Rights, and Political Change in Iran. Population Reference Bureau, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

"Humanitarian News and Analysis." IRINnews. IRIN, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Seager, Joni. The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World. New York, NY [u.a.: Penguin, 2009. Print.