The Iranian Women's Movement
Mehrangiz Kar
Discussions of the women’s movement in Iran have been a part of the Iranian Studies Program since its founding and continue to be an essential part of the program. Past conversations with Simin Behbahani, Ziba Mir-Hossaini, Farzaneh Milani, Shahrnush Parsipur, Mahshid Amirshahy, and Masih Alinejad are just a few of the speakers who have discussed this topic over the years. During the spring and summer of 2020, Dr. Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies Program, hosted a series of conversations with prominent women activists. The conversations presented a diversity of thought and experience and helped further the discussion of the ongoing struggle for women’s rights in Iran. This series of events will continue into the 2020-2021 academic year.
Mahnaz Afkhami, a leading activist for women’s rights and former Minister for Women’s Affairs in Iran before the 1979 revolution, discussed her pioneering work in diplomacy, women’s literacy, and the importance of helping women gain economic independence.
Jila Baniyaghoob, an activist, journalist, and author, spoke live from her home in Iran and discussed her work, time spent in Iran’s Evin prison, and the ongoing challenges women journalists face in Iran. A founding member of the One Million Signatures Campaign for Equality, she spoke about the fight to alter the discriminatory laws against women in Iran.
Mehrangiz Kar, a human rights lawyer from Iran, writer, speaker and activist, discussed the history of the women’s movement in Iran, missed opportunities for advancing women’s rights under the Shah, the perceived risks of compromise, and the broader challenges of working within an existing system to make lasting change.
Faeze Hashemi Rafsanjani, a women’s rights activist, former member of the Iranian parliament, the founder and publisher of Zan magazine, and daughter of a former president, spoke live from Iran. She discussed a culture of patriarchy, discriminatory laws, and insincere efforts of reformist men as some of the barriers to equal rights for women; and argued for an Islamic feminist interpretation of the Quran as a remedy.
Mansoureh Shojaee, a prominent activist and the founder of several programs related to women’s rights, discussed prominent women activists and the long struggle for women’s rights in Iran, the complex dynamics between various parties and perspectives, and the changes and challenges from pre-revolutionary to post-revolutionary movements.