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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Iran
Index
With the notable exception of the Westernized and secularized
upper and middle classes, Iranian society before the Revolution
practiced public segregation of the sexes. Women generally
practiced use of the chador (or veil) when in public or when
males not related to them were in the house. In the traditional
view, an ideal society was one in which women were confined to the
home, where they performed the various domestic tasks associated
with managing a household and rearing children. Men worked in the
public sphere, that is, in the fields, factories, bazaars, and
offices. Deviations from this ideal, especially in the case of
women, tended to reflect adversely upon the reputation of the
family. The strength of these traditional attitudes was reflected
in the public education system, which maintained separate schools
for boys and girls from the elementary through the secondary
levels.
The traditional attitudes on the segregation of women clashed
sharply with the views and customs of the secularized upper and
middle classes, especially those in Tehran. Mixed gatherings, both
public and private, were the norm. During the Pahlavi era the
government was the main promoter of change in traditional attitudes
toward sexual segregation. It sought to discourage veiling of women
at official functions and encouraged mixed participation in a
variety of public gatherings. The result was to bring the
government into social conflict with the Shia clergy, who sought to
defend traditional values.
Data as of December 1987
Traditional Attitudes Toward Segregation of the Sexes
With the notable exception of the Westernized and secularized
upper and middle classes, Iranian society before the Revolution
practiced public segregation of the sexes. Women generally
practiced use of the chador (or veil) when in public or when
males not related to them were in the house. In the traditional
view, an ideal society was one in which women were confined to the
home, where they performed the various domestic tasks associated
with managing a household and rearing children. Men worked in the
public sphere, that is, in the fields, factories, bazaars, and
offices. Deviations from this ideal, especially in the case of
women, tended to reflect adversely upon the reputation of the
family. The strength of these traditional attitudes was reflected
in the public education system, which maintained separate schools
for boys and girls from the elementary through the secondary
levels.
The traditional attitudes on the segregation of women clashed
sharply with the views and customs of the secularized upper and
middle classes, especially those in Tehran. Mixed gatherings, both
public and private, were the norm. During the Pahlavi era the
government was the main promoter of change in traditional attitudes
toward sexual segregation. It sought to discourage veiling of women
at official functions and encouraged mixed participation in a
variety of public gatherings. The result was to bring the
government into social conflict with the Shia clergy, who sought to
defend traditional values.
Data as of December 1987
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