Conventional Wisdom vs. the Inside Scoop

Conventional Wisdom: Women are prisoners in a male-dominated system. Any attempt to politically organize would be dangerous.

View from the Inside: Mehrzad Boroujerdi, of the University of Syracuse, observes that for the first time in Iranian history there are more female than male students going to universities. “Women are entering universities en masse, and it’s going to send shock waves through the system.”

Retired U.S. Ambassador John Limbert, who once taught at Iranian universities, says there is an “explosion” of higher education for women in Iran, which can be partially attributed to hijab, the dress code which forces women to cover their heads and dress modestly. This has made many traditional families feel more comfortable about sending their daughters into mixed-sex environments. “The Islamic Republic’s compulsory dress code has allowed large numbers of women to go to university who were excluded before. I’m not sure what this demographic is going to mean, but I expect it’s going to be profound.”

Women are also gradually infiltrating the men's club known as parliament, and female government officials are talking with women's rights groups about making changes to laws, such as those that would give women the right to divorce and equal rights to inheritance.

Women have been making their influence felt in Iran’s government for at least a hundred years, says Sanam Dolatshahi, one of the first female bloggers in Iran. She recalls the hard-won Family Law, ratified by the Shah after decades of patient lobbying, which included a number of provisions that benefited women. She says the current movement is working toward bringing back to Iranian women this package of rights, which was deratified after the Islamic Revolution, piece by piece.

Dolatshahi credits the Internet for helping to spread awareness of the issues and gain support, but she is quick to point out that grassroots efforts by women have been equally important and successful. “They go to people’s homes, to parks, to the women’s section of the metro, they talk face to face with the people. To women and to men. They give them pamphlets that explain why the laws need to be changed.”

The movement has spread beyond urban areas to the countryside, despite government efforts to crack down on its activities. The “One Million Signatures” campaign to petition parliament to change perceived discriminatory laws against women, demonstrates an attempt to work within the system rather than push against it.

One issue that is not a part of the platform is hijab, the dress code. “Hijab is so public, so political, that unless all the women of Iran somehow get engaged in this issue we cannot expect this movement, which is under so much pressure, to take this up,” says Dolatshahi. “They are negotiating, leaving hijab out for the sake of other issues, such as saving women from being killed.” Stoning is still a major concern, and activists have already mobilized to prevent these deaths.

Negotiating requires a great deal of finesse, however, and the government will clamp down on anything that looks like “regime-change activity,” Dolatshahi says. She cautions Western reporters to take care in their coverage of these events and developments, so that Iranian officials do not perceive them as a threat to Islam. The women's movement groups also shy away from large donations from Western governments and foundations for the same reason, she says.

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