Challenging Misogynistic Dictatorship: Women in post-Shah Iran
In the wake of the Shah’s regime collapse in 1979, Iranians—particularly courageous women—sought to forge a society rooted in human rights and freedom. However, the true revolutionaries, imprisoned until the eleventh hour, left a void that Khomeini exploited, steering the movement toward his own agenda.
From the outset, Khomeini targeted democratic liberties, with women’s rights squarely in his sights. Key measures curtailed women’s autonomy, including the repeal of the Family Protection Law, unilateral divorce rights granted to men, and the exclusion of women from judicial roles, creating a misogynistic dictatorship.
Within weeks of the February 1979 revolution, Khomeini’s office suspended the Family Protection Law across all courts. His interim government confirmed this move on February 27, 1979. Simultaneously, on the eve of International Women’s Day, Khomeini mandated hijab compliance for female government employees, furthering his misogynistic dictatorship.
The response was swift. On March 8, 1979, female workers boycotted their jobs. Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees rallied outside their workplace, while 5,000 to 8,000 women converged at the University of Tehran, chanting, “We did not have a revolution to regress.”
High school students joined the fray, protesting government-backed groups that attacked unveiled women with the slogan “(Wear the) hijab or a (get) slapped.” These demonstrations against Khomeini’s misogynistic dictatorship defied heavy morning snowfall.
The momentum persisted. On March 10, 1979, Kayhan newspaper reported thousands of Tehranian women gathering at the Palace of Justice to protest mandatory hijab. Yet, these peaceful displays of dissent were met with brutal suppression by the newly established government’s mobilized forces.
