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The Women's Organization of Iran (WOI; fa, سازمان زنان ایران) was a
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
created in 1966, mostly run by volunteers, with local branches and centers for women all over the country, determined to enhance the
rights of women
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The WOI had committees working on health,
literacy
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
, education, law,
social welfare
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet Basic needs, basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refe ...
, handicrafts, international affairs, provincial affairs, membership and fund raising. Its Women's Centers provided literacy classes and
vocational training
Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an ind ...
,
family-planning information and legal advice. By 1975, the International Year of the Woman, the WOI had established 349 branches, 120 women's centers, a training center and a center for research. It succeeded in making women's rights part of the national agenda, but was dismantled with the
Islamic Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
in 1979.
Structure
Many women's organizations had emerged in the 1950s. In 1959, Princess
Ashraf Pahlavi
Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi ( fa, اشرفالملوک پهلوی, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "p ...
formed a committee to prepare the ground for an umbrella organization called the High Council of Women's Organizations of Iran (High Council). The High Council then coordinated the election of a 5,000-member assembly of women representatives, which approved the WOI and its charter on 19 November 1966 in Tehran.
The WOI had committees working on health, literacy, education, law, social welfare, handicrafts, international affairs, provincial affairs, membership and fund raising. The committees were generally chaired by upper-class women connected with the royal court. The branch members were generally middle-class women in their late twenties or early thirties, often teachers or civil servants. The WOI saw its function as that of connecting small groups of women leaders at the grassroots level, who were scattered throughout the country.
The basic unit of the WOI was a branch established in a locality where thirty women constituted the local assembly and elected a 7-member local board of directors, as well as a branch secretary. Branch secretaries met at the yearly National General Assembly, where goals and guidelines for the activities of the WOI were set. A central council of eleven members met weekly to manage the organization. The cadres worked on a voluntary basis except for some 40 women employees at the headquarters who were paid through funds from the printing company.
The WOI budget was initially provided by local charitable organizations, national fund raising and funds from the school textbooks printing company. As the WOI grew, it convinced the government that its services were necessary for national development, and should be funded by the government. The WOI came to have 2,000 paid specialists in legal, childcare and family planning.
Strategy
During the 1960s, women in Iran, regardless of class and geographic location, were dealing with issues of freedom, equality, security, recognition and control, and were feeling torn between tradition and modernity, between what they aspired to and what their environment enforced. Members of the WOI came to the conclusion that neither
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
models nor traditional Iranian models provided a satisfactory framework for the Iranian women's movement and the role of women; they set out to develop local concepts and strategies to create new possibilities for the role women could play, the aspirations they had, without breaking away altogether from their culture.
Originally, the WOI reflected the commonly held view of the complementary of the sexes; and women's rights were requested for the stated purpose of improving their capacity as mothers and wives. In 1973, an ideological turnpoint happened at the General Assembly when
Mahnaz Afkhami
Mahnaz Afkhami (Persian: مهناز افخمی; born January 14, 1941) is an Iranian women's rights activist who served in the Cabinet of Iran from 1976 to 1978. She is founder and president of Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), executive direc ...
, then secretary general of the organization broke away from that viewpoint and said “We are each a whole human being, complete in ourselves. We are half of nothing and no one.” Consequently, the constitution of the WOI was amended to reflect this new demand for equality at all spheres, including within the family unit.
Overwhelmingly, Iranian women told the WOI that
economic self-sufficiency
Self-sustainability and self-sufficiency are overlapping states of being in which a person or organization needs little or no help from, or interaction with, others. Self-sufficiency entails the self being enough (to fulfill needs), and a self-s ...
was their first priority. In response, the WOI focused its activities on education, whether literacy skills or vocational training. The classes became the core of the WOI centers. Yet women were reluctant to train for many traditionally
masculine
Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors con ...
fields, such as
carpentry
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...
or
plumbing
Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses pipes, valves, plumbing fixtures, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. Heating and cooling (HVAC), waste removal, and potable water delivery ...
, on the grounds that it would hurt their chance of marriage.
Even after the franchise was won, the WOI determined that language or discourse was extremely importance because rights gained on paper did not amount to much when the language was still essentially patriarchal. In fact, the secretary general says she came to see her task as working to change the
patriarchal
Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...
discourse.
Conscious of the fact that Iran's leadership was very sensitive to its international image, the WOI worked to develop international connections with women's groups in countries such as France, Iraq, Pakistan, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China by exchanging, information, and moral support. Eventually, Iran also played a central role at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
First World Conference on Women in 1975 in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, and formulated key concepts for its World Plan of Action. The WOI then used the World Plan to formulate and implement a National Plan of Action for Iran, and used it as a way to be involved with many government decisions and processes, even in matters not traditionally considered women's issues.
Accomplishments
When the goals of the WOI coincided with the modernization of the country, it was able to make progress; however when it fought in the areas of family and social gender behavior, it often failed. A quota in technical and engineering fields was easily achieved, whereas the ability for women to obtain a passport without their husband's permission did not, and cost them the resignation of female senator
Mehrangiz Manouchehrian
Mehrangiz Manouchehrian (1906 – 5 July 2000) was an Iranian lawyer, musician, feminist, and appointed Senator. She was involved in the Women's Organization of Iran. She was involved in drafting the Family Protection Act - a set of laws extending ...
as well as much negative publicity.
Women’s Centers
The WOI grew to include 120 Women's Centers, which were centers providing services to women. Local women were included in deciding what those services would be – typically classes, childcare, consciousness-raising, legal counseling and health care. The centers were essential in connecting with the grassroots, but were viewed by the WOI as a means rather than a goal in and of itself. When the centers came under attack for drawing women outside of the home, the name of the centers was changed from Women's Centers to Family Welfare Centers.
Trial and error showed that the most effective centers were those that were small, centrally-located, unassuming and an integral part of the community.
WOI's School of Social Work, which trained employees selected from across the nation for work in the centers, was located in Naziabad, south of
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, one of the country's poorest communities. Young women chosen for this course were given two years of training before returning to their towns and villages. Schooling was kept at a minimum so that ties between the young women and their home network and lifestyle would not be permanently altered by long stays in Tehran.
Family Protection Law of 1975
In the area of women's legal rights within the family, the
Iran's Family Protection Law In 1967, Iran adopted a set of progressive family laws, the Family Protection Act, which granted women family rights; these were expanded in the Family Protection Law of 1975. The act was annulled in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution when Sharia law ...
, as revised in 1975, gave women the right to ask for divorce on the same grounds and conditions as men, left decisions regarding child custody and alimony up to a special family court, recognized the mother as the legal guardian of her child in case of the father's death, practically eliminated polygyny by stipulating exceptional conditions and, limited legal marriages to a second wife only with the permission of the first, and increased the minimum age of marriage to eighteen for women and twenty-one for men. Abortion was made legal with the consent of the husband. Unmarried women could have abortions on demand up to the eighth week of pregnancy.
Research on Women
The WOI created a Center for Research on Women which conducted research on women in various socioeconomic and geographic sectors, and identified potential solutions to their problems. Various studies showed that improving women's status would result in general societal improvement, but that the reverse was not true (such as the mechanization of agriculture resulting in decreased financial and material standing for farm women because access to new methods was restricted to men).
Some of the more influential studies of the research center include :
* ''A Comparative Study of the Socio-Economic Situation of Working Women in Tehran Qazvin and Kashan'' (1974-5); this study showed the importance of using radio to reach women in these cities, and of providing childcare as a necessity for women's participation in the work force.
* ''Status of Women in Tribal Society'' (1974) showed that these tribal women aspired to urban non-nomadic futures for their children, and that women's rights in these tribes were based on tribal customs rather than Islamic or state law.
* ''Images of Women in Elementary School Textbooks'' showed that women's roles in society as portrayed in schoolbooks were rigid, limited and without variety. The study led to the creation of a committee to review and revise elementary school textbooks.
* ''Urban Design and Women’s Lives'' outlined suggestions for community services to help working mothers.
* A set of legal research projects focused on a comparative study of the laws of Iran and the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
* The
Saveh
Saveh ( fa, ساوه, translit=Sāveh, also transliterated as ''Sāwa'') is a city in Markazi Province of Iran. It is located about southwest of Tehran. As of 2011, the city had a population of 259,030 people.
History
In the 7th century BC it ...
Functional Literacy Project, cosponsored by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in 1973-1975, whose goal was to increase the literacy rate of rural Iranian women. The project was then turned over to the National Committee for World Literacy Program, which used it as a blueprint for launching similar programs in more than 7,000 villages throughout Iran.
National Plan of Action
The WOI worked upstream of the UN's First World Conference on Women in Mexico City in 1975. To achieve a consensus on the National Plan for Action, more than seven hundred panels, organized and financed locally by the WOI chapters between 1976 and 1977, debated relevant issues. The panels were followed by statewide seminars in each province.
The
General Assembly of the United Nations
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
then adopted the World Plan for Action. Subsequently, the WOI took it back to Iran as a basis for preparing a National Plan of Action to improve the status of women in the country, and as a way of pressuring the government for resources. The final document of the National Plan for Action included not only the goals of improving the status of women, but also the mechanisms for implementing and monitoring this national agenda. The cabinet approved the National Plan of Action in May 1978. Putting women's rights issues on the national agenda was considered to be a major victory for the WOI; but the National Plan of Action was never implemented as the Revolution toppled the government.
Relationships
Royal Family
The Iranian women's movement was very decentralized at the end of the 1950s, and fighting for the right to vote, when
Princess Ashraf Pahlavi
Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi ( fa, اشرفالملوک پهلوی, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "pow ...
was asked to lend her support to the movement. She then commissioned a committee to federate the organizations into the umbrella High Council of Women's Organization of Iran. She became a valuable ally and an effective lobbyist in high-level government meetings. As honorary president, she was able to appoint half of the members of the central council of the WOI; it was remarked she had made sure to appoint women from diverse backgrounds and religions.
The queen
Farah Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi ( fa, فرح پهلوی, née Farah Diba ( fa, فرح دیبا, label=none); born 14 October 1938) is the widow of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and was successively Queen and Empress (''Shahbanu'') of Iran from ...
became a feminist in the early 1970s, and her support was sought on certain issues, such as eliminating sexist images from elementary-school textbooks. But her feminist views often clashed with the public motherly persona she felt she needed to convey to the country.
The King
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
, title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran
, image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg
, caption = Shah in 1973
, succession = Shah of Iran
, reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979
, coronation = 26 October ...
is partly remembered for his legacy for women's rights, however, the demands of the WOI were more radical than the reforms that the state was willing to make. The WOI became more influential as it grew, as it was able to successfully implement projects, and as it became able to offer the infrastructure of a network of active women throughout the country. The Ministry of Labor agreed to supply equipment and teachers as they determined it was preferable for Iranian women to take on jobs that would otherwise fall to foreign workers. And the Ministry of Health agreed to provide medical staff and supplies in women's centers.
Though WOI members were prohibited from political activities, the WOI closely cooperated with women Majles deputies and senators and the New Iran Party on women's issues. It was accused of acting for the government when no other independent women's organization was allowed to exist, and when branches of theWOI around the country encouraged women to participate in
Rastakhiz Party
The Party of Resurrection of the Iranian Nation ( fa, حزب رستاخیز ملت ایران) or simply Rastakhiz Party ( fa, حزب رستاخیز, Ḥezb-e Rastāḵiz, lit=Resurgence/Resurrection Party) was Iran's single legal political party ...
activities.
Religious establishment
The relationship between the WOI and the religious establishment was never an easy one. Religious
fundamentalists
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...
opposed the WOI because it went against their interpretation of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, and because the WOI supported moving family jurisdiction out of religious purview and into the hands of special family courts. Many women at all levels in the WOI also did not want to have to choose between growth and progress, and their religion. While leaders of the WOI believed in the possibility of being concurrently a Muslim and a feminist, it did not believe full human rights could be obtained within “
Islamic feminism
Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and soci ...
”
The WOI tried to gather support from liberal
mullahs
Mullah (; ) is an honorific title for Shia Islam, Shia and Sunni Muslim clergy or a Muslim mosque leader. The term is also sometimes used for a person who has higher education in Islamic theology and Sharia, sharia law.
The title has also b ...
or the participation of their female relatives at local women's centers. For instance, in
Qom
Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...
, the participation of Ayatollah Shariatmadari's daughters was essential to the viability of the local women's center. Some centers also included religious instruction and the reading of the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
to appease the local
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
.
In general, the WOI tried to avoid confrontation with religious figures. Among its strategies were:
* quotations from the Qur'an in support of women's rights, such as “Whoso doeth good works, whether male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint of a date stone.” (from
Sura Nisa’)
* female role models among the prophet's family as heroines for women's rights, such as
Zainab bint Ali
Zaynab bint Ali ( ar, زَيْنَب بِنْت عَلِيّ, ', ), was the eldest daughter of Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph () and the first Shia Imam, and Fatima, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Zaynab is best known for her ro ...
and
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid ( ar, خَدِيجَة بِنْت خُوَيْلِد, Khadīja bint Khuwaylid, 555 – November 619 CE) was the first wife and is considered to be the first follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Khadija was the da ...
* consultations with liberal religious leaders to word proposals. For instance, the
Iran's Family Protection Law In 1967, Iran adopted a set of progressive family laws, the Family Protection Act, which granted women family rights; these were expanded in the Family Protection Law of 1975. The act was annulled in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution when Sharia law ...
of 1975 was worded such that divorce (a man's right) was given by him to his wife as part of the marriage contract.
Revolution
Two main political forces were behind the
Islamic Revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...
that overturned the
Shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
; both were opposed to the WOI. For the leftists, the liberation of the masses took precedence over women's liberation. For the religious fundamentalists, the work of the WOI was contrary to their interpretation of Islam.
Women massively participated in the demonstrations leading up to the revolution. Ironically, the WOI's activities in the late 1960s and 1970s contributed much to women's sense of agency, their awareness of their collective political power, and their belief that they should mobilize and assert their demands. Women were marching for a freer government; what came about was the Islamic Revolution, the dismemberment of the WOI and a massive step back in women's rights.
Chronology
* 1959: The High Council of Women's Organizations of Iran (High Council) is formed with 17 member organizations focused on women's issues; its first priority is gaining the right to vote
* 1966: The High Council organizes the election of a 5,000 member assembly of women representatives from all regions of the country
* 19 Nov 1966: The assembly of member representatives from the High Council meets in Tehran and approves the charter creating the Women's Organization of Iran (WOI); 55 existing women's organizations join the WOI.
* 1970: The Association of University Women becomes affiliated with the WOI
* 1971:
Mahnaz Afkhami
Mahnaz Afkhami (Persian: مهناز افخمی; born January 14, 1941) is an Iranian women's rights activist who served in the Cabinet of Iran from 1976 to 1978. She is founder and president of Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), executive direc ...
becomes secretary general of WOI; she remains in the post until the Islamic Revolution.
* 1971: The WOI and the Ministry of Health organize a six-day women's family planning conference. The legal age of marriage was discussed and recommendations were made on raising it for women.
* 1972: The WOI committee studying the family protection law of 1967 recommended amendments to do with child custody, joint ownership of family assets, and payment of alimony to divorced women.
* 1973: The Association of Women Lawyers criticizes the family protection law of 1967 for allowing men to take a second wife and for depriving a wife with the right to ask for a divorce if her husband suffered from a contagious disease.
* 1973: The WOI changes its mission to reflect that it no longer believes the role of women is to complement men; the new mission calls for equality in society and before the law. The WOI constitution is also changed such that members of the central council are now elected rather than half being appointed by the honorary president.
* 1975:
The Family Protection Lawpasses, expanding women's rights in the family.
* 1975: The WOI holds a conference to mark the 40th anniversary of the unveiling of women in Iran and the beginning of the UN International Women's Year. The same year it passes an 11-point resolution which called for the ‘complete elimination of discrimination against women and equal opportunity and welfare for women from all walks of life.
’
* 1978: The cabinet approves the National Plan of Action
Selected members and leaders
* Dr. Mehrangiz Manouchehrian, appointed member of the central council
*
Dr. Sakineh (Simin) M. Redjali, Secretary General of the Women's Organization and appointed member 1969 - 1971
* Dr. Alam, president of the central council of the WOI
*
Princess Ashraf Pahlavi
Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi ( fa, اشرفالملوک پهلوی, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "pow ...
, Shah's twin sister, founding president
* Fakhri Amin, appointed member of the central council
*
Farangis Shahrokh (Yeganegi), prominent Zoroastrian feminist, first secretary of the high council
*
Farrokhroo Parsa
Farrokhroo Parsa ( fa, فرخرو پارسا; 24 March 1922 – 8 May 1980) was an Iranian physician, educator, and parliamentarian.
She served as minister of education under Amir Abbas Hoveida and was the first female cabinet minister. Par ...
, member of the central council, also minister of education
* Ferideh Diba, the queen's mother, founding vice-president
*
Mahnaz Afkhami
Mahnaz Afkhami (Persian: مهناز افخمی; born January 14, 1941) is an Iranian women's rights activist who served in the Cabinet of Iran from 1976 to 1978. She is founder and president of Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), executive direc ...
, secretary general of the WOI, also Minister for Women's Affairs
* Dr. Mehri Rasekh, prominent member of the Bahai community, member of the central council of the WOI
* Nikchehreh Mohseni, appointed member of the central council, of the Baha’i faith
* Parvin Buzari, appointed member of the central council
* Ms.
Shamsi Hekmat, Jewish educator, member of the central council and later deputy secretary general of the WOI
* Vida Behnam, appointed member of the central council
See also
*
Iranian Women's Movement
The Iranian Women's Rights Movement (Persian: جنبش زنان ایران), is the social movement for women's rights of the women in Iran. The movement first emerged after the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in 1910, the year in which the f ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Women's Organization Of Iran
History of civil rights and liberties in Iran
Organizations established in 1966
1966 establishments in Iran
Organizations disestablished in 1978
1978 disestablishments in Iran
Women's rights in Iran