Iranian women have had a subordinate social and economic position compared to Iranian men during past centuries. In her research on the history of Iranian women, Massoumeh Price writes that the documented struggles of women for freedom began in the 19th century, where Fatemeh Baraghani, also known as Tahereh or Qurrat al-Ayn, a professor of Islamic, Arabic, and Iranian literature, succeeded in reaching a high position in theology. In 1828, she met with Sayyid Kazem Rashti and Sayyid Mohammad Baba, the founder of the Babi movement in Iraq, which led to further advancement in her religious studies. Gradually, Tahereh reached a high position in leading this movement. She often appeared without a veil in public gatherings, which caused anger among the people, even among the Babists themselves. In 1852, after being persecuted and harassed by the Babists, she was executed for her radical views and her struggles

On January 7, 1936, Reza Shah announced the abolishment of the veil and provided modern education for both women and men on a large scale. This led to the liberation of women in society. On that day, all female teachers in the capital were invited to attend a party with unveiled women from the military and government officials at the Teacher Training College (for men). Reza Shah, alongside his unveiled wife and daughters, delivered a historic speech:

“Ladies, know that today is a great day, use the opportunities that are available to you today to contribute to the progress of the country.”

This was a part of the activities that Reza Shah did for modernizing Iran. The mandatory unveiling of women, which was strictly enforced, caused rebellion and great suffering in various communities.

In technical terms, hijab means covering oneself in a way that Islam desires, which is to prevent instability in society. Therefore, Islam requires women to cover themselves in their interactions with men with whom they have no relationship.

For many women, hijab was a symbol of tradition, honor, femininity, and sometimes comfort; therefore, most women stood against the ruling of monarchy alongside their husbands.

Some women did not leave their homes for months, while others went to the streets with full hijab and bought the risk of being arrested and having their headscarves pulled off.

Despite all the efforts of the government to abolish the hijab, women’s resistance was much greater than they had anticipated. Many women continued to preserve their modest dress in a more moderate manner. When Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became the Shah of Iran, the ban on hijab was lifted.

According to the book “Veils and Words” by Farzaneh Milani, this event happened shortly after the “renewal of attitudes towards veiling”. This time, it wasn’t just traditional and religious women who were seen with Islamic veils; some freer and non-traditional women in the middle and upper classes also adopted veiling.

This “trend of modernization” coincided with the freedom of reforms during the White Revolution of Mohammad Reza Shah. As Zahra Soltani writes in her book “Avoiding Feminism”, these reforms, which were mostly aimed at modernizing and westernizing society, resulted in consequences such as poverty and crises, leading to mass migration of people from villages to cities.

The groups of people who were concerned about the growing gap between the rich and the poor, prepared themselves and a counter movement slowly began to take shape.

Following this movement, the lifestyle and values were leaning more towards traditionalism, which included wearing modest clothing for both women and men, and even hijab for some women. For many women, the decision to wear the headscarf was not due to religious reasons, but a conscious effort to make a statement against the Pahlavi regime. It was in this context that the Islamic Revolution took place in 1979, a revolution that could only happen with the active participation of women.

In a subtle manner, Khomeini’s order for women to wear hijab was issued on March 7, 1979, one month after his return to Iran and one day before International Women’s Day. Women, who were excited and energized by the achievements they had fought for, were preparing to celebrate International Women’s Day in Tehran and other parts of Iran through women’s organizations and groups.

As Parvin writes, these celebrations were resolved in protests and marches: protesters of all ages, with and without hijab, poor and wealthy, just as they had once put their lives on the line and marched in support of Khomeini against the regime of Mohammad Reza Shah, now they were protesting against Khomeini’s police for women’s rights. Thousands of women participated in the protest against hijab.

Once again, women were demanding their rights, but this time they were demanding them from a government that had promised to support their rights. Despite all the meetings and protests in the University of Tehran campus, the streets, and even the Ministry of Justice, women were unsuccessful in overturning the mandatory hijab law.

Bani Sadr, the first president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, justified compulsory hijab with the following statements: “The way of dressing has a social role and the goal of society should be to establish a ‘united society’ in which the relationship between women and men should be a relationship between minds, and to achieve such a society, they must reduce the relationship between bodies. The way of dressing should be in line with such a goal.” In another place, Bani Sadr says, “Women’s hair emits something that affects men’s minds.” This statement by Bani Sadr was inspired by stories and myths older than Islam.

In order to worsen the situation, most active political groups, many of which had women as members, were unable to support women in their opposition to mandatory hijab. Although some political groups declared their condemnation of mandatory hijab, they were unable to back up their words with actions.

During the revolution, women were encouraged to participate in protests against the regime. Women, who were actively opposing the Shah’s regime through various means, had become an inseparable part of the movement against the Shah. They had ideals just like their male counterparts. They believed in equal rights for women and men, freedom of expression, and the abolishment of all legal discrimination against women, especially in the realm of family.

None of these ideals became a reality after the revolution. As Haleh Esfandiari mentioned, almost all the women she interviewed for her book “Reconstructed Lives” felt betrayed and harmed. Almost all of them said, “We have felt deeply humiliated by the actions and policies of the regime towards women.”

Some of the women that Esfandiari has interviewed said that even one or two years after the revolution, they still held onto their hopes; for some of them, their dreams were shattered immediately after the Islamic Republic. It didn’t take long for their dream of a democratic society for women to turn into a nightmare.

The hijab was not just a matter of personal choice. Girls had to wear a headscarf and cover themselves in school, which prevented them from playing, running, and engaging in almost all activities. Wearing a headscarf on hot days meant sweating and discomfort. Children are children, no matter where they are in the world. For young girls in Iran, this is meaningless.

Although women in modern Iran may not see hijab as their top dissatisfaction, they know that hijab is a symbol of the regime’s disregard for women’s rights. Mandatory hijab takes away women’s ability to express themselves and denies them their basic human rights. Today, most women in Iran believe that hijab is not their main restriction, but rather it is the laws and denial of their rights that is their “main hijab”.