نظم جنسیتی در ایران پس از انقلاب: پیوند دین-دولت، تحولات نهادی و عاملیت زنان  (۱402–1357)

الهام  افشار کهن; ابوالفضل ذوالفقاری; عباس  کشاورز شکری

Authors

elham Afshar Kohan PhD Student, Department of Sociology, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1022-0763
Abolfazl Zolfaghari Associate Professor, Department of Political Sociology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6146-0735
Abbas Keshavarz Shokri Professor, Department of Political Science, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7686-6578

Keywords:

Gender system, patriarchy, religion, politics, society, Iran after the revolution

Abstract

Using a qualitative sociological approach that combines thematic analysis with historical-institutional analysis, this article examines the transformation of the gender order in Iran following the Islamic Revolution (1979–2023) and its social consequences for women. The central research question concerns the interactive role of religious and political institutions in shaping women’s legal and social status. Data were collected from two sources: (a) semi-structured interviews with 22 women occupying different subject positions, including nine institutional administrators and 13 civil society and independent activists, selected through purposive sampling using a limited-variation approach among urban, educated women; and (b) a review and analysis of 45 high-level policy documents, including legislation, general family policies, population policies, and five-year development plans, of which 10 key documents were subjected to in-depth analysis. The findings indicate that Iran’s gender order has undergone three stages: “institutional consolidation” (1979–1989), “relative moderation” (1989–2005), and “intensified conservatism” (2005–2023). These stages are documented with reference to major political developments, including the end of the Iran–Iraq War, changes in government administrations, and the implementation of national development plans. The principal consequence has been the emergence of a profound gap between the “normative order” and women’s “lived realities” in higher education, employment, family law, and political participation. For example, although women constitute more than 60% of university students (Statistical Center of Iran, 2021), their economic participation rate has remained at approximately 16% (World Bank, 2022). In response to these structural constraints, Iranian women have developed diverse strategies of civic activism, ranging from organized legal campaigns to informal forms of action within the framework of the “politics of everyday life.” The article concludes that an accurate understanding of Iran’s gender order requires an integrated interpretation of the interactions among religion, politics, and social agency.

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