This is what this journalist says in the same archive from 1971. He was then attending a wedding. “If his wife gives him permission, he (the Iranian man, editor’s note) can take a second one.” And to add:The Iranian woman, who has had to take off her veil since 1935 but does not always do so, has been voting since 1963 and can be elected. There are women ministers, senators, professors, doctors. She takes the pill which is given out for free.”
She takes the pill which is given out for free
“Divorce, today more difficult to obtain than before (from the point of view of a man, editor’s note). It was then enough for the husband to go to the priest who warned the wife of his situation. Now, the spouses must agree to their separation in court and the wife, for her part, can ask for a divorce. It was therefore easier for women to ask to be separated.
These rights were abolished in 1979, the year of the Islamic revolution. Year of the imposition of the veil. “There was a regression in women’s rights in 1979“, confirms the ULB professor. “First, all the rights contained in family law have been eliminated. The Penal Code has been Islamized. That is to say, the punishments for women are different than for men.”
Present women in their only mission which was procreation
“Certain branches at the university were restricted and were no longer accessible to women. Certain work was prohibited for them. And finally, we especially tried to present women in their only mission which was procreation. So, We have a regression of rights. However, they kept the right to vote and to be elected. And they fought for small improvements in family responsibilities and for the right to divorce which had been completely taken away from women. “
A different revolt this time
Each era thus imposes its laws which provoke protests. “At the mandatory unveiling, there was no resistance or protest“, explains the ULB professor. “There was a discomfort of women who had to reveal themselves. Many delayed leaving their homes because they were uncomfortable.”
On the other hand, the imposition of the veil in 1979 created large protest movements by women. “There were women’s marches, demonstrations but they were cruelly suppressed and no one supported them.”
This is what makes the difference with the current revolt where we see men in the demonstrations. “When the women started to burn their veils, gradually the young men, who also suffer from the Iranian lead, supported the young women. Their families got into it little by little. It is not political parties that support them but the population: young men, parents…”