FROM REVOLUTION TO REPRESSIONS: WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND STATE POWER IN IRAN FROM 1979 TO TODAY

Abstract

Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Republic placed gender policy at the very core of its authoritarian governance. The transformation of women‘s rights in Iran can be traced through four distinct historical phases: from revolutionary mobilization to early regression (1979–1983), from theocratic consolidation to reformist feminism (1980–2005), the rise of digital activism (2010–2020), and finally the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement of 2022–2023. Each shift in the status of women—whether regressive or resistant—illuminates the intricate relationship between state ideology and personal freedom. Women were not only active participants in the revolution, but also among its first victims. Their legal, social, and political status became the principal arena for the ideological consolidation of the Islamic Republic. The transformation of women‘s rights in Iran since the late 20th century not only reflects changes in policy but also reveals how religion, nationalism, and authoritarianism converge in shaping the boundaries of citizenship and state power.