Women Life in Iran

Some Aspects and Problems

Of

Women Life in Iran

By sara sheikh ahmadi

Iran is a country with 2500 years of civilization and this country has played a great role in the progress and improvement of human civilization entire the world during its history. The ancient Iran was one of the most powerful governments at its time and an empire which was extended from china to Egypt and Europe and from Yemen to central Asia, Had many benefits for human society. In analyzing the past traditions and norms of this country we will find that beside the great man of this land the role of woman was very remarkable. For example it is interesting to know that main admiral of Iranian see force in 2300 years ago was a woman and before that they had a great role in establishment and leading of this government. In the various densities of ancient Iran the social place of a woman was so respected. The liberal atmosphere and economic welfare of that governments resulted in progress and improvements for both men and women. As we see in the history of Iran, at Dariush kingdom Iranian women got interested in many fields of art like music and make up and even high level of management. And in forward kingdoms we can name some women as kings. At Sasani Dynasty women also had a great role in creation of so many worthy literatures, artistic and musical tracks and women were respected in family and society. With the invasion of Arab Muslims about 1400 years ago and the fall of Sasani Empire unfortunately all these cultural, scientific and artistic achievements suddenly ruined suddenly. The Arabs  which everything was depended on physical power of men and they themselves considered women as second class and cheap creators.

After the entrance of Islam to Iran this fact impressed Iranian women up to 1930. From 1930 to 1978 in Pahlavi kingdom as the result of following western civilized world the chains has broken to some extents and during that period of time we can see women’s progress in many social fields and everything was heading to a better circumstances. But suddenly and after the 1978 revolution and raise of reactionary government of turbans everything was over for the woman again.

Life conditions for woman changed into what it was 1400 years ago (raise of Islam) so that in the beginnings of the new government the distinguishing attitude to man and woman spread widely even to the elementary schools and it was a start for the discrimination between man and woman. This radicalism also was to be applied in universities that soon revoked by heavy protests.

Now that this government celebrates its 4^th decade, although its presidents and parliament members changes, but Islam is not changeable and anyone who is in charge for a critical post is a stubborn follower of the Islamic rules and the rulers have been turban and reactionary personals. Even in the presidential period of Mir Hussein Muosavi arresting and invading women because of not abeyance of Hijab was wide spread. Consider what Ahmadinejad and his friends which are well known in the world for executing, arresting, invasion and murder of innocent people, do.

Consider a government that made Miss. Shirin Ebadi, rewarded noble prize, to leave her home country. In such country the campaign for 1 million signatures in advocating women human rights comes to result you can hardly imagine what has become of women.

In discussions that I had with my friends and what I saw in my society during my activities in nongovernmental organizations, the most important problems of women marked as follows:

1.     The problem of Hijab: freedom of clothing and wearing any kind of clothes is one of the primary rights of a human and the obligatory on what must be worn and what not is the same as an insult. This subject is so ridiculous that most countries which have high percentage of Muslim people simply ignore. That is another reason for illogicality of this rule of this religion which has forbidden something that is impossible for people. Meanwhile according to Islam if a woman shows a part of her body more than what Islam has assigned even her hair she will definitely go to hell! Isn’t it funny! But Iranian Islamic regime follows this rule strictly even in the warm seasons of year which many of Iranian cities are more than 40 degrees of centigrade if anybody does not obey this rule she will be arrested by police so that it brings to mind that they want to send you in heaven forcibly. When you ask why the reason is that hijab prevents guilty and prevents man from sexual desires. But in fact with separation man and woman from the elementary school to the end of high school results in arising more sexual desires for a man about a woman.

2.     Breaking the woman rights by the opposite gender of society: unfortunately Islamic thoughts has spread its roots entire the society so that Iranian man also because of regional prejudice incorrect Islamic educations illiteracy and lack of knowledge which is the common problem of all Iranian people has accepted woman as second gender in Iran few of men consider their wife as a perfect human and they call them sensitive irrational and a means for sexual satisfaction as it mentions in Islam and Quran. This lack of confidence in woman in more traditional families has turned a woman to a means for cooking, cleaning and bearing. And unfortunately the woman, who stands this situation during many years, believes themselves as second gender that should be treated this way but in modern families the environment is better to some extents. If a man do not believe in his wife as an equal human how can he be a good friend or husband for her. Unfortunately in Iran most of women face this problem. In this society you cannot expect equality for woman and man in rules and regulations so that in Islam woman is property of man and a man can kill his wife even because of his jealousy and again unfortunately this man is a respectable from the view of traditional society. In the other cases like heritage a woman considered as half of a man. I do not really know why the world needs Islam? What is the Islamic government in twenty first century?

3.     Negative and pejorative attitude toward woman in Iranian society: in Islamic society of Iran, government tries to cut the connections between man and woman from their education to arresting boys and girls who are walking in the streets. This attitude and hijab both not only causes to preventing the guilty but also leads to more problems and crimes. It makes the man greedier about woman and the body beneath under their hijab. Negative and pejorative attitude of man toward woman is a result of this problem which wastes the opportunity of a true connection based on friendship and mutual respect in a high portion of society. So that Iranian boys from the aspect of Iranian girls are some immoral people that their aim is just for sexual abuse. It is interesting that in some countries like Saudi Arabia the woman are not permitted to drive a car. Do you believe that driving a car by a woman is sexy? God bless woman!

At the time I was in advocatory NGOs when we went to suburb areas of the city we find out that woman in these areas are scarified by a bigger problem than poverty and it was illiteracy, lack of knowledge. In these places I saw some girls that they want to marry just to be allowed to make up, because they are prevented when they were single. Also I saw some woman that because of offering condoms to their addicted husbands were hurt by them severely. Now imagine that how they can prevent population growth in their family and problems of holding children in that dark environment. Economic problems and sanctions which is another result of Islamic republic government cause many other problems. Low income and wages unemployment hurts both man and woman in Iran. This problem cause to inability if man in construction of a family this problem has a direct relation with a bigger problem for woman in Iran that according to its tradition a good girl is would marry at third decade of her life. these poor man cannot establish a family.at the other hand severe Religious and traditional preventions from relation between man and woman out of marriage  and its unfair penalties which is mostly is for woman has resulted in sever ruining of sexual desire of woman which causes to many physical and mental problems and even if there is any relation and nobody knows about it a woman will break down very much because in Islamic Iran most of man believe that having a sexual with a woman is scoring from here and defeating her, not improvement of friendship and true relation based on mutual respect.

In Iran a woman even as a mother is encountered many problems in training her children in this really bad society and she is always worried about the future of them.

The negative aspects of breaking women in Iran are more than what mentioned. They are half of any society and in a society like Iran that we saw many problems daily and they became more and more consequently the problem of a woman become more and more. In this assay some of the biggest problems of Iranian women were mentioned but it is to be continued.