Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Iranian Surprise

It is interesting to compare pre-revolution days to post-revolution ones. Many westerns consider pre-revolution a time of freedom for women. However it must be noticed that their participation in Iranian universities never matched that of men in those days. It is ironic to notice that how much the number of Iranian female students and their presence in academic circles have increased during last years.

The causes of this drastic difference are many and I won't be surprised if one discovers after revolution many traditional families feel that they can send their daughters to universities without being worried about influence of a strange culture.

The lesson is that at the end of the day, there are the people who initiate lasting and real changes. The surface of things says little about the reality of events.

A seemingly modern society had defined very traditional roles for women, which even its small elite seemed to follow and to believe in. A seemingly traditional society has defined and accepted very progressive roles for women in several places such as universities and work places. That is the surprise of Iran and Islamic Republic of Iran.

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