Reza Shah Women's Rights

Reza Shah’s eldest son Mohammad Reza Shah, also known as the Shah, succeeded his father in 1941. In Persepolis, Marjane’s grandmother explains to her that “dynasties have succeeded each other but the kings always kept their promises. The Shah kept none ” (27). The Shah had promised more modernization than his father, which never occurred. Women began to wear the chador in the streets which went against the previous abolition during Reza Shah’s reign. From a political standpoint, the Shah did begin to appoint and elect women into government positions and the Senate. Even though this is considered a big step for women’s rights, women still didn’t have the right to vote, a right they have pushed for since Reza Shah was in power. One of the biggest gains for all women during the Shah’s reign was the enacting of the Family Protection Law. Under this law, men could not divorce out of spite, the age of marriage for girls raised from thirteen-years old to fifteen-years old, the custody of children was ultimately up to the courts, and polygamy was a harder option for men.

In Persepolis, aspects of authoritarianism are shown during brutality at demonstrations, or when Marjane’s father takes forbidden photographs of the demonstrations at hand. Despite his attempts to modernize and failure to please Islamic fundamentalists, the Islamic Revolution began in 1979. The Shah was forced to step down due to displeased Iranians, especially from the religious Iranians. Around this time, Ayatollah Khomeini took advantage of specific groups, such as oppressed men and women, during the revolution to lead to his rise of power. He used all efforts to create a government solely based on Islam and religion, thus beginning post