The Manufactured Woman: The Position of Women in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This thesis examines the views of Khomeini, Shariati and Motahhari on several aspects of womanhood such as gender equality and marriage. Furthermore, it examines which of these ideas have been translated into the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. By understanding which religious figures have been influential and which laws dictate the lives of women, I have tried to understand what is expected from women and what their position in society is. The constitution of Iran was an important source to understand the framework in which the position of women is decided. A critical review of the ideas of the three religious figures show that there are several problems with the translation of their ideas and the notion of equality as presented in the constitution into practice. Women in fact do not have the same rights as their male counterparts as the constitution states. Examples of this are the mandatory hijab and unequal divorce rights. Furthermore, there is a lot of intentional...Show moreThis thesis examines the views of Khomeini, Shariati and Motahhari on several aspects of womanhood such as gender equality and marriage. Furthermore, it examines which of these ideas have been translated into the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran. By understanding which religious figures have been influential and which laws dictate the lives of women, I have tried to understand what is expected from women and what their position in society is. The constitution of Iran was an important source to understand the framework in which the position of women is decided. A critical review of the ideas of the three religious figures show that there are several problems with the translation of their ideas and the notion of equality as presented in the constitution into practice. Women in fact do not have the same rights as their male counterparts as the constitution states. Examples of this are the mandatory hijab and unequal divorce rights. Furthermore, there is a lot of intentional vagueness in the constitution in order to limit the rights of women. The thesis concludes that it has been mostly the ideas of Khomeini and Motahhari have been implemented into the constitution. Shariati’s ideas, that can be categorized as more modern and socialist than the other two religious figures, have been implemented to a lesser extent. Khomeini, Motahhari and Shariati all agree men and women have equal rights. However, the implementation of this into practice is problematic.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The Manufactured Woman: The Position of Women in the Islamic Republic of Iran