Essay On Iranian Women

Many Islamic countries require women to wear clothes that do not flaunt or define their bodies in any form. In certain countries such as Iran, additional clothing is required especially when engaging in religious or outdoor activities. Iranian women are known to wear a chador or a loose black robe that covers the body from head to toe. Iranian women in specific have covered themselves for centuries due to religious and family traditions but after the revolutionary government of Iran enforced the wearing of the veil and began restricting women’s rights, the veil or covering of the body represented something very different and changed the meaning of the act all together.
Women of Iran and other Muslim countries do not oppose the acts that their religious traditions have installed upon them for generations however; they do have a problem when these “traditions” are manipulated and altered for strict regulations and repression against the female gender in their cultures.
Iranian women traditionally used the chador while in public or when males not related to them were in the house. In the traditional view, an ideal society was one in which women were confined to the home, where they performed the various domestic tasks associated with managing a household and raising
children. Men worked in the public sphere, that is, in the fields, factories, bazaars, and offices. Deviations from this ideal, especially in the case of women, tended to reflect adversely upon the reputation of the family. The strength of these traditional attitudes was reflected in the public education system, which maintained separate schools for boys and girls from the elementary through the secondary levels (Farmaian and Munker).
The traditional attitudes on the segregation of women clashed with the views and customs of the secularized upper and middle classes, especially those in Tehran.
“Mixed gatherings, both public and private, were the norm. During the Pahlavi era the government was the main promoter of change in traditional attitudes toward sexual segregation. It sought to discourage veiling of women at official functions and encouraged mixed participation in a variety of public gatherings” (Farmaian and Munker 56-63). The result was to bring the government into social conflict with the Shia clergy, who sought to defend traditional values. Women’s civil rights began to flourish during this period in
history.
Although all these actions caused some turmoil within the community, tradition was always respected by women in general because of the significance behind the moral value and their family teachings. Although women continued to fight for basic freedoms, they never had a problem with their chadors or veils as long as they had a choice in the matter. Traditionally, “the ideal of veiling in Islam meant concealing what was revered which were mainly the body and the privacy of the home” (Milani).
After the Islamic revolution of 1979 took effect, women’s rights in Iran suffered a major setback. Many of the accomplishments that were achieved over time to improve women’s rights in Iran were officially banned by the government. In addition, women had to cover themselves whenever they stepped out in public as it became mandatory by law. From one moment to another, women lost everything – their rights and their traditional beliefs. The veil which once had a religious traditional link was instantly transformed into a symbol of manipulation and repression to all women.
Iranian women as well as other groups of women from Islamic countries share the same problems and are being subjected to all types of discrimination by their government in the name of their religion. The problems Muslim women face includes cultural and political restrictions, forced marriages, female mutilation and abuse among other oppressions (Jawad). There is much frustration and sadness shared among the female gender in Islamic countries due to all the radical changes occurring today.