Effect on Women

1. Effect on Women • Contradictory because the revolution has both • --Opened up new possibilities for women & • --instituted repressive controls over women • Unintended because a different kind of woman has emerged in Iran than was anticipated by the revolution

2. Women in the revolution • Khomeni cultivated the "Ideal Revolutionary Woman" who was supposed to be pious and trained in tradition to pass that on to children, deferent to fathers, husbands or brothers, pious • He also called the chador the "flag of the revolution“ • urged women to participate in the masses: to fight and to vote in elections in the new regime

3. So the effect of the Rev on women . . . On the one hand • . To ensure they wouldn't tempt men, the regime ordered women to cover all but face & hands and to segregate themselves from men in public places (eg no football games) • Hezbollah (party of god) harass women for their attire (vigilante groups who serve as unofficial watch dogs and storm troopers of the clerics and are hardly ever prosecuted) • Sharia law means can stone for adultery, restrictions on women leaving country without consent of male relatives. .  • women barred from running for president (about 90 applied to in 2005 but were denied) • Women are 27% of the work force As mayor of Tehran, Ahmadinejad,(current president) , instituted policies of gender segregation, calling for women and men to take separate elevators in government buildings.

4. Country Rank * Lower or Single House Upper House or Senate Elections Seats Women % W Elections Seats Women % W United States 69 11 2004 436 66 15.2% 11 2004 100 14 14% United Kingdom 50 05 2005 646 127 19.7% N/A 721 126 17.5% Russia 100 12 2003 447 44 9.8% N/A 178 6 3.4% China 47 02 2003 2980 604 20.3% --- --- --- --- Iran 128 02 2004 290 12 4.1% --- --- --- --- Mexico 30 07 2003 500 121 24.2% 07 2000 128 28 21.9% Nigeria 119 04 2003 360 23 6.4% 04 2003 109 4 3.7% Women in Politics

5. On the other hand • Women can vote • A narrowing education gap between women & men means equal numbers of boys and girls in school • women now outnumber men at universities • Decreasing family size leads to more demand of education and employment—”democratization of family” • A worsening economy has forced women into the labor market to help support their families • The regime has opened up job opportunities in government, professions, & universities for women: higher percent work than other Muslim Countries • Globalization brought information & images of women's gains elsewhere • Dress codes relaxed, esp. • under Pres. Khatami Shirin Ebadi Women vote in 2005 election

6. After President Mohammad _________came to power in 1997, Islamic dress started shrinking and finally became a simple head scarf and tunic. (The tighter or more slit the better, and preferably pink this year.) Iran was looking for ways to take part in international women's events without abandoning Islamic dress.

7. The past few weeks have helped widen the gulf. After years in which they felt downcast and helpless, opposition partisans saw the sudden birth of a popular movement in support of Mr. Moussavi that exceeded their hopes. Rallies began drawing tens of thousands of cheering people. The streets of Tehran and other major cities began exploding after dark with carnivalesque street celebrations, in which young people danced and dressed in the signature bright-green color of the Moussavi campaign. Word of the events spread by Facebook, which — like other new Internet technologies — proved a challenge for the authorities to control. Women became a driving force, emboldened by Mr. Moussavi’s ground-breaking decision to campaign alongside his wife, the distinguished political scientist Zahra Rahnavard.

8. Women Cyclists Face Jail, Warns Iranian Police Chief oct 28 2010

9. Nobel Peace Prize to Iranian Woman • On October 11, 2003, the Nobel Committee announced that it was awarding the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize to Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian activist who has worked for women's rights and children's rights. This is the tenth year in Nobel history that the prize has been awarded to women, and Shirin Ebadi is the 11th woman, the first Muslim woman, and first Iranian to be so honored. (http://womenshistory.about.com/b/a/034540.htm)

10. Iran has sent 52 athletes for Olympics that three of them are women. Iranian women will compete with headscarf as Hijab. Among the competitions the Iranian Olympians will participate in are freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, taekwondo, judo, weightlifting, archery, track and field, discus, rowing, boating, cycling, table tennis, boxing and shot-put

11. Olympic dream a reality for Iran's female skier As the first Iranian woman in Winter Olympics history, the 21-year-old will head a four-member Iranian team that will be the only one from the Middle East

12. Najme Habtin, Iranian Archer. Foto of her during archery training ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympics at Olympic Green Archery Field on August 6, 2008 in Beijing, China.

13. Restrictions on Presidential Candidates • GC vets • Only Shiite can run for President • Only “well known political personality” can run for President (interrupted by GC as no women)

14. Iran unveils plan for women's car Iranian women can drive cars but are not allowed to ride motorbikes Iran has announced plans for a new car designed specially for women. Its features will include automatic transmission, parking and navigation aids and a jack for changing tyres without getting grease on your chador. Iran's biggest car producer, Iran Khodro, says it will come in a range of feminine colours and interior designs. Other features are proposed to make it easier for women when they are doing the family shopping or taking their children to school. If that suggests a degree of sexist stereotyping in Iranian society, it is, just possibly, true.

15. Other features are proposed to make it easier for women when they are doing the family shopping or taking their children to school. If that suggests a degree of sexist stereotyping in Iranian society, it is, just possibly, true. Despite the fact that Iranian women now make up around 60% of university students, Iranian men have yet to absorb fully the message of equality. A recent study by an academic from Allameh Tabatabaii University in Tehran found that working Iranian women believed that the domestic chores should be shared more equally. However, according to the report "their husbands think and act traditionally". Indeed, the idea of married men cooking for their wives is viewed in Iran as highly eccentric. As a result, the report concludes, Iran's new generation of working women "are obliged to play the role of a superwoman to resolve their contradictions in handling all tasks." It says such women "have become increasingly frustrated with their life".

16. Modesty bikes' Officially, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that Iranian women are the most equal in the world. And the authorities proudly boast of the achievements and opportunities open to Iranian women. But the official Iranian concept of equality is very different from that understood by Western feminists. Among the more eccentric policies here, Iran recently announced plans for a special bicycle for women. None of the machines has been spotted yet, but apparently the idea is to provide special covers, to help preserve female modesty as they pedal. Women, however, are still banned from riding motorcycles. However, they can often be seen perched on the back, sometimes with one or two small children in their arms, as their husband weaves through the Iranian traffic.

17. Iran Bans Women from Attending Men's Soccer Games • May 2006 Iran's hard-line president surprised many of his country's soccer fans last month when he announced that women would be allowed to attend men's soccer matches - something that had previously been forbidden. Some observers think he was trying to gain the support of moderates in order to build national unity amid increasing international pressure over Iran's nuclear program. But then, Iran's supreme leader forced the president the reconsider his decision. • Iranian female soccer fans stand behind fencing to watch a training session in Tehran. The country has banned females from watching soccer inside stadiums • The president's spokesman said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad decided to reverse his decision after the Supreme Leader called on him to consider the views of Iran's religious leaders. Some of the country's top clerics and lawmakers had criticized the president's announcement. They said that a woman looking at the body of a male stranger at games like this one earlier this year would violate Islamic law.

18. From an NPR interview: • Regime post 1979 has done 4 things well • Education for women (more than men in university), birth rate, health care and disparity b/w urban and rural • About birth rate: at first wanted high, b/c of war with Iraq (wanted soldiers) but then realized economic implications, so pushed to get it down –b/c it is a theocracy, it did not have to use authoritarian means like China, it came out as “Allah’s will,” taught in mosques, control edc etc.

19. Institutions GO here to click on the links and find out about each institution http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/middle_east/03/iran_power/html/default.stm

21. What are the points that come up most in articles about Iranian gov? • In the multiple layers of power that obscure the governance of Iran, no one knows for certain where the ultimate decisions are being made. • The Constitution gives the ________ __________near total control of the state, though officials like to emphasize that he is selected by the ___________of Experts, which is elected by the public. The leader appoints all military and security commanders, he has the power to declare war and must confirm the election of the president. He appoints the head of the judiciary, more than half the members of the Guardian Council and the head of state television. • Still, Iran is not a country ruled by decree. There are multiple power centers and competing agendas, requiring that major decisions be made after consultation and compromise http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DEFD71E3EF93BA15756C0A9609C8B63

22. Plainly, Iran’s leadership is not at one. The reformers, once led by Muhammad_________, who was president from 1997 to 2005, seem demoralised and weak. But the conservatives look increasingly divided between the radicals, led by Mr Ahmadinejad, and more pragmatic figures, such as Mr Larijani. The president is becoming unpopular, largely because he has failed to improve the material lot of the poor who elected him and because his belligerence over the nuclear issue has isolated Iran in the world and made Iranians frightened of the prospect of being bombed. According to one poll, half of those who voted for him in 2005 would not do so again http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=10013138 oct 24 2007

23. U.S. Focus on Ahmadinejad Puzzles Iranians • Unlike in the United States, in Iran the president is not the head of ________nor the commander in _______That status is held by Ayatollah Ali______________, the supreme leader, whose role combines civil and religious authority. At the moment, this president’s power comes from two sources, they say: the unqualified support of the supreme leader, and the international condemnation he manages to generate when he speaks up. • “The United States pays too much attention to Ahmadinejad,” said an Iranian political scientist who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “He is not that consequential.” • That is not to say that Mr. Ahmadinejad is insignificant. He controls the mechanics of civil government, much the way a ________ ______does in a state like Egypt , where the real power rests with the president. He manages the budget and has put like-minded people in positions around the country, from provincial governors to prosecutors. His base of support is the Basiji militia and elements of the ________________Guards http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html

24. A candy shop in Qum featured a poster of Ayatollah and his ________predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah__________, the father of the revolution.

25. Supreme Leader Iran has had two "Supreme Leaders"Ayatollah Ruhollah ____________, 1979–1989,and Ayatollah Ali _______________, 1989–present.

26. Iran’s __________leader taking a salute from Iranian Air Force NYT Feb 9 2007

27. The image of Ayatollah Ali ____________i, the supreme leader of Iran, looking down on a street in Tehran

28. Present and Past Presidents Iranian President Mohammad __________right, smiles as Iran's president-electMahmoud, _____________ looks on during a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday June 29, 2005. Iran's non-elected constitutional watchdog Wednesday approved the result of the presidential runoff election that gave ultraconservative Ahmadinjead a landslide victory. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian

29. In the multiple layers of power that obscure the governance of Iran, no one knows for certain where the ultimate decisions are being made. The Constitution gives the supreme leader near total control of the state, though officials like to emphasize that he is selected by the Assembly of______________, which is elected by the public. The leader appoints all military and security commanders, he has the power to declare ______and must confirm the election of the __________He appoints the head of the judiciary, more than half the members of the Guardian Council and the head of state television. Still, Iran is not a country ruled by decree. There are multiple power centers and competing agendas, requiring that major decisions be made after consultation and compromise.

30. Many Try to Run for President in Iran, but Few Will Be Allowed May 11, 2009 Clockwise from top left: Iranians carry posters of Mir Hussein Moussavi, a reform candidate, with former President Mohammad Khatami; men wait to register; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad shows his identification; a woman registers to run for president.

31. The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran takes his oath of office inside a mosque in Tehran, the nation's capital. The outgoing president hands the presidential seal of office to Iran's Supreme Leader and Head of State. The Supreme Leader then hands the seal to the new president, and administers the oath of office. On the wall is a portrait of the Ayatollah Khomeni, the founder and first leader of the Islamic Republic.

32. Parliament Mahjiles

33. Not a total rubber stamp • unlike in most Arab countries and pre-rev • debate—even fist fights • legislation must be passed by them and govt has to work to get it thru • can impeach pres • Refused to confirm 5 of Amadinajad’s nominees for cabinet

34. Members of Parliament listened on Tuesday as the interior minister, Ali Kordan, made his case. They voted 188 to 45 to dismiss him over faked academic degrees.

35. November 19, 2008 Iran Replaces Interior Minister After a Scandal By NAZILA FATHI TEHRAN — Two weeks after Parliament dismissed the interior minister in a scandal over his credentials, deputies voted on Tuesday to confirm President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nominee to replace him. The vote was 138 in favor of the new minister, Sadeq Mahsouli, a Revolutionary Guard commander, and 112 opposed. About 20 lawmakers abstained. The vote took place two weeks after Parliament fired Ali Kordan after it became clear that he did not hold a doctorate from Oxford University, as he had claimed. Mr. Mahsouli was confirmed as lawmakers sought more details about the source of his wealth. Mr. Mahsouli, who is a close ally of Mr. Ahmadinejad, withdrew his nomination as oil minister in 2005 after members of Parliament raised questions about his income. On Tuesday, Mr. Ahmadinejad defended Mr. Mahsouli, saying he had not accumulated his wealth while in government. “There is nothing wrong if a person engages in economic activities when he does not hold government positions,” he said during a speech broadcast live from Parliament on state radio in support of Mr. Mahsouli. “If you want to put an end to such concerns, you should come up with a bill that would investigate the wealth of all senior officials from the beginning of the revolution,” Mr. Ahmadinejad said, referring to the wealth of his opponents among former senior leaders

36. By NAZILA FATHI    T EHRAN, Feb. 1 — More than one-third of Iran's Parliament resigned Sunday to protest a sweeping ban on candidates running in the parliamentary election later this month. The defiant move threatened to plunge Iran's political system into chaos. One by one, angry lawmakers who have held a three-week sit-in at the huge Parliament building, marched up to the podium and handed their resignations to the speaker. In an emotional statement read aloud during the session of Parliament on Sunday and broadcast live across the nation on Iranian radio, the members who resigned accused powerful conservatives of seeking to impose a religious dictatorship like that of the Taliban, who were overthrown by American-led forces in Afghanistan. One-Third of Iranian Parliament Quits in Protest Feb 2 2004 A ban by hard-liners on election candidates prompted mass resignations by reformers in Parliament.

37. President Ahmadinejad hands parliament his budget NYT Jan 22 2007

38. Members of Iran's parliament called for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi to be executed

39. Electoral System for Mahjiles: TRS“Two Round System After the first round of the election the votes are calculated and the candidates who have received the highest number of votes and at least a required minimum percentage of votes get a seat in the Majlis.. An absolute majority is not required – as it is in many other TRS – to acquire a seat in this first round, but a plurality of 25% is sufficient. (This was changed just before the 2000 election from a one-third minimum as a compromise between the previous 33% and a suggested simple plurality). If there are still seats to be filled after the first round there will be a second round, a runoff. In this round only a simple plurality of the votes is required to be elected.

40. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03/01/world/middleeast/20120301TEHRAN-11.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/03/01/world/middleeast/20120301TEHRAN-11.html