Gender Discrimination 

Human rights are restricted from Iranian women, adding on to the amount of discrimination faced against them in Iran. Women are told what they must wear, and who they must follow. Corruption is a topic of interest in this field because those who go against the government find themselves incarcerated. Can questioning the government policies and ending up incarcerated be another example of totalitarianism? The question, what are the new regulatory apparatuses that patrol the boundaries of gender and sex, has been widely debated in the trespassing gender field, with students arguing against how the human rights of Iranian women are restricted and discriminatory. The issue that I will be focusing on is how do the limitations given to Iranian women by the government reflect freedom if these limitations are examples of gender discrimination?

Iranian women fight every day against unrighteous bans towards them and end up incarcerated because of it. The apparatus government system establishes bans against them, making women look more as property rather than as free human beings. These limitations on Iranian women are based on their gender, and yet they are considered “free” in the eyes of the government. Iranian women have contributed greatly to the advancement of their roles in society to reform the male-dominant culture, polity, and society. Gender discriminatory laws limit women from acting how they want and taking care of themselves the way that they want, these laws are examples of the restrictions women face in Iran daily. Gender discrimination is an important issue in Iran because it is what separates women from practicing their human rights. The Iranian government imposes these laws to symbolize their modernization and support for feminism, however, it is just an example of corruption because they are not giving these women equal rights as they give men. An example of gender discrimination would be in the article, “Women’s Rights in Iran”, where it talks about how women are not allowed in sports stadiums because they cannot watch men’s sports. However, it does not address the issue of discrimination against Iranian women efficiently and thoroughly.

Women are pushing leagues within these tournaments to not allow Iran to host games unless they agree to let women watch which can be a start to ending discrimination against women in Iran. Today, there is a campaign called #Watch4Women that aims towards ending discrimination towards women in Iran and also want the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) to prevent Iran from hosting future tournaments. Women criticize the government for these discriminatory bans, risking their freedom by getting incarcerated. 

I argue that Iranian women are treated as property rather than as human beings who reserve the right to do as constituted in the rights listed for them. It should be a woman’s choice to wear a hijab or not. It should be a woman’s choice whether or not she would like to watch her son or husband play in a sport to show her support. It should be a woman’s choice whether she would want to work or get an education. These oppressive laws are just supporting the idea of patriarchal corruption within the government system. Iranian society has used women as its symbol of purification for it’s desire to reclaim it’s old history of Shi’ism which meant preserving a “pure state and society.” Women’s movements and labor would no longer serve purpose for themselves but for the interest of the patriarchy. Gender discrimination has existed in Iran for centuries, as men are always looked up as the one with the authority. Women are controlled constantly by men, therefore, there is no actual freedom for them. Discrimination against women sheds a new light on rarely acknowledged boundaries within gender and sex of women in Iran. Iranian women deserve their rights. They deserve to be respected as a person and as a human being. They should not be treated as property as all of us women should be treated as equally as men are treated. We must take action in dissolving the patriarchal system that exists in Iran’s government. Women must demand their human rights, we must gather rallies and fight for our independence. We must be separated from this tie that we hold with men being superior and us inferior. We are our personal and we must protect ourselves from these discriminatory laws. It is our right because we are free. We are not slaves to men, we are not property to be traded off in exchange for money or goods. As a feminist specifically for Iranian women, these steps must be made, I have joined peaceful rallies myself. I have sat beside women who are fighting against these bans against them. I have seen the power that men hold over them and it is corrupting. The system is broken in Iran and we must find a way to fix it. The only way is to show men that they are not superior. They do not hold all the power, we hold our power. We have the power and intelligence to do more than men and we reserve the right to be treated as equal as they are. 

Gender discrimination is a form of corruption in the government system. Women deserve to be treated as equal as men are. They deserve to be given the same opportunities as men are given. These policies and bans that limit the freedom of women are examples of what looks to be a patriarchal society. A free society is a society that carries equal laws for both genders, not just one. These limitations given to women do not reflect freedom, they reflect control. Patriarchal power is used against Iranian women, and it is growing. Iranian women must join together and show the world these restrictions so that change can be brought and made. Freedom is having the choice to make any decision and perform any action you acquire to. Freedom is what both genders should have not just one. Freedom is what women deserve because they have been oppressed their entire lives and deserve more than what they are given. Iranian women are not property to be auctioned to men as strategies to reproduce and gain more power. We are not objects, we are humans. We have human rights and we are inclined to practice all of them as we please. Iranian women reserve the right to make their own choices, and the government needs to grant them that. Gender discrimination is an example of the Iranian Gender Boundaries that exists in Iran. It is an issue that will be resolved because women are powerful too. 

However, the main objective of Iran after the revolution was reclaiming its history of Shi’ism. After the revolution, Iran’s society expressed its anti-imperialist and anti-western stance through Iranian women. The main objective of Iran was purification, and building the history of Shi’ism which meant controlling women. Women were used as part of the success and legitimation of the revolution. They were used to promote the Islamic and Shi’i heritage to bring back society’s moral and ethical values of pure women as the bearers of cultural purity and authenticity. With this objective, discrimination had began it’s affect on Iranian women again. Women were forced to reveil and follow the set rules of the hijab. Mobilization came into effect as a way to enforce these policies against women in order to rebuild Shi’ism. Gender discrimination had come into light during this time for women. Groups known as the gender police forced women to follow the policies that were placed against them because they were symbolic towards the purification of Iran. Women’s labor served the patriarchy rather than themselves. The veiled women became the symbol of “rebirth” in the Islamic heritage. New proclamations, policies and laws were made promoting gender inequality. Gender discrimination existed throughout Iran’s transitions from modernization and westernization to anti-imperialism and the rebirth of the Islamic and Shi’i culture. Women’s rights were devalued in order for male superiority to grow stronger. Laws were built to approve gender segregation, separating women and men in public spaces and in educational institutes. Men were given all the power as women needed their permission before they could work or get an education. 

In order to gain more political support, government officials formed groups of mobilized women, assigning them as people who defend Islam through checking if women are following the policies properly and efficiently. These groups enforced modesty and dress codes within women, ensuring they are respresenting Islam. Majority of these women came from low-income families, therefore, the government supplied them with benefits that supported their families. These women loved the job of mobilizing other women because of these benefits given to them by the government. These women were prideful in wearing the chador and giving political support. This form of enforcement is what allowed the patriarchal government to oppress women. The government would hire women of low-income to enforce the gender biased laws and policies so that other women would not feel as if they are being silenced and controlled through a corrupt patriarchy. Women who supported the government were prideful because they would receive benefits from their jobs. The changing of policies for women in Iran demonstrated the patriarchal norms established into the lives of women so that men can continue to have superiority. These patriarchal norms are what added to the gender discriminatory laws and policies as men wanted to continue to be superior towards women. They did not want women to become equal to them because they wanted all the power for themselves. Women’s human rights were severely restricted so that men can continue to hold a higher power than women, which is something that rooted from the idea of purification in Iran. Women represent the idea of virtue and modesty and men want to continue these beliefs so that they can grow in power. 

Women in Iran face “an array of legal and social barriers, restricting not only their lives but also their livelihoods, and contributing to starkly unequal economic outcomes.” Through the job market, women make up over 50% of university graduates, however, only 17% participate in the labor force which demonstrates how low the employment rate for women is in Iran. This is significant based on the amount of limitations authorities have placed on women in regards to the “participation gap in the Iranian labor market… in a context in which Iranian authorities have extensively violated women’s economic and social rights.” Discrimination against women in the Iranian labor market is shaped by the political idea that has dominated Iran since the Islamic revolution, which pushed women to adopt perceived “ideal roles” as mothers and wives and sought to marginalize them from public life. Throughout Iran’s history, activist have been punished for pushing for gender equality. How would the government consider these women free if they are silenced by men?  It demonstrates the corruption that continues to exist in Iran’s government officials and system. The idea of women being “free” under the Islamic Republic is corrupted as they are under the control and supervision of a male-dominant society. There is no freedom in this society for women, therefore, they are not considered free under this government. Gender discrimination is a significant barrier behind women gaining the same opportunities and respect as men. These limitations set by the government show totalitarianism within the social society and women must fight to demolish this barrier. 

Citations

Sedghi, Hamideh. Women and Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling, and Reveiling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Far, Tara Sepehri. “‘It’s a Men’s Club’: Discrimination Against Women in Iran’s Job Market.” Human Rights Watch, August 20, 2018. https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/05/25/its-mens-club/discrimination-against-women-irans-job-market.