logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
11m 4s

The Iranian Revolution and women

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Many women supported Iran’s 1979 revolution against the monarchy but some later became disillusioned.

Islamic rules about how women dressed were just one of the things that women objected to. Sharan Tabari spoke to Lucy Burns in 2014 about her experiences during, and after, the Iranian Revolution.

(Photo: Iranian women at the 1 May 1979 protest. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Today
Ni Una Menos women’s movement in Argentina
On 3 June 2015, tens of thousands of people gathered in the capital, Buenos Aires, and in dozens of cities and towns demanding an end to violence against women. There were demonstrations in Chile and Uruguay in solidarity too. Argentina was reporting a female murder rate of one e ... Show More
9m 31s
Yesterday
Argentina’s national genetics bank created to identify stolen babies
In 1982, Argentine geneticist Victor Penchaszadeh was living in exile in New York when he received a call that would change the course of his career. Two founding members of the campaign group, the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, were asking for his help to find their kidnappe ... Show More
10m 41s
Jul 8
The mystery of Evita’s corpse
When Eva Peron, Argentina's most famous First Lady, died in 1952, her body was embalmed. Three years later, her widower, Juan Peron, was deposed in a coup. But military officers feared her corpse would become a rallying point of protest against the new government. So they stole i ... Show More
10m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
Women taking a stand
A collection of Witness History episodes, this week focusing on global events where women have taken a stand for equality from Sudan to Iran and Australia. In Iran in 1979, Islamic rules about how women dressed were just one of the issues women objected to during the Iranian revo ... Show More
51m 25s
Mar 2023
Ayatollahs in Iran
In 1979, Iran’s pro-Western Shah was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini, ushering in the Iranian Revolution and Iran’s shift to an Islamic Republic. But the hope many people thought Khomeini represented, quickly soured as his zeal led to increasing amounts of oppression. And despit ... Show More
58m 47s
Oct 2022
A Feminist Uprising in Iran
Iran is in the midst of the most significant protest movement in years -- and it is being lead by women and girls.  The spark that ignited this movement was the murder of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by Iran's morality police for improperly wearing her headscarf ... Show More
29m 4s
Oct 2022
The long fight for women’s rights in Iran
Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police on September 16th, protests have erupted throughout Iran and in some 160 cities around the globe — with some of the biggest protests happening here in Canada. Despite violent crackdowns on the dem ... Show More
27m 25s
Oct 2022
Ongoing Protests In Iran Echo A Century-Old Revolution
It's been more than a month since 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died after being detained by Iran's morality police – allegedly for breaking the rule requiring women to wear a hijab. Her death sparked protests that continue to this day. Women and girls have been at the forefront of the ... Show More
13m 57s
Sep 2022
Masih Alinejad: A revolution for Iranian women?
Stephen Sackur speaks to exiled Iranian women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad. The death in police custody of a young woman arrested for showing strands of her hair sparked protests across Iran, led by women, backed by many men. Could repression of women be the regime’s undoing? 
23m 24s
Oct 2023
Femme, vie, liberté : révolution en Iran
“Femme ! Vie ! Liberté !” : depuis septembre 2022, ce slogan féministe venu d’Iran parcourt le monde entier. Apparu après le décès de Jina Mahsa Amini le 16 septembre 2022 – une femme iranienne et kurde de 22 ans tuée par la police des mœurs pour avoir mal porté son voile – cette ... Show More
50m 33s
Feb 2024
120. The Iranian Revolution: The Rise of Ayatollah Khomeini
With the Last Shah’s reforms - known as the White Revolution - starting to take effect, Iran looked to be in a healthy position. Economic growth is strong, Tehran is a thriving cultural centre, and women now had the vote. Before long, however, the economy began to overheat and in ... Show More
41m 27s