Essay - Women's Culture in Iran Westerners, Including Western Feminists Often Have...

Women's Culture in Iran

Westerners, including western feminists often have a stereotyped version of women in Iran. Iranian women are *****ten painted in various stages of "oppression." They ***** required to cover themselves up, do not enjoy equal political, legal, or economic rights, and are subject to the authority ***** their fathers or husbands. While there is a gr*****in of truth to many of these images, they paint an incomplete picture ***** the status of Iranian women **********.

In Voices from Iran: The Changing Lives of ***** Women, sociologist Mahnaz Kousha attempts to give a more complete account ***** *****ian women's lives today. The key phrase in the title is "changing." As ***** country continues to undergo rapid political and economic transformation, it is no surprise that the lives of women will be affected as well.

This paper builds on Kousha's research ***** present an assessment ***** women's ***** in Iran today. It examines both ***** challenges that remain as ***** as the advances ***** women have achieved throughout the years. In the l*****t secti*****, this ***** also employs a cultural relativist approach, to explore how Iranian women are able ***** exercise power ***** exert influence via traditional cultural practices.

Though schooled in the United States, Kousha grew ***** in Iran and *****refore had access that might ***** have been available to other Western-based scholars. ***** result is eight chapters, composed of *****terviews and oral his*****ries with 15 women in Tehran. ***** from Iran is an *****timate look at Tehr*****i women and their concerns. Beyond political and economic rights, Kousha also carefully draws out how women view questions such as marriage, father-daughter relationships, and whether men are "better off" in Iranian society than women.

***** ***** her interviewees do not gloss over the human rights *****, and Western readers will find many of their initial stereotypes ab***** Iranian ***** validated. For example, women face ***** ***** and social strictures, simply on the basis of ***** sex. In areas where Shari'a law is dominant, for example, women could only inherit up to half of what their male relatives receive. In addition to religious rulings, the rationale ***** such laws are deeply embedded in Iranian culture. S*****ce ***** are ***** seen as breadwinners or family-providers, *****y s*****posedly do not need as much inheritance.

***** images tie in with human rights reports regarding the ***** of women in Iran. The 2005 Human Rights Report released by the U.S. State Department ********** cases wherein police beat ***** for offenses such as wearing makeup, being accompanied by men who were not relatives or by behaving in "immodest" ways.

***** are still barred from serving in many judicial positions. Legally, women ***** need to obtain the permission of a male relative -- preferably a husband or fa*****r - to obtain a passp*****t or to leave the *****. The landmark 1967 Family Protection Law that protected a wider r*****nge ***** ***** rights in ***** home and the workplace has ***** replaced by ***** practices.

***** *****view points