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The Study Of Gender Inequality

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The Study of Gender Inequality in Islamic Iran
Early in the term I read the book Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi and grew fascinated with her account of life in Iran before, during, and after the Islamic Revolution. In this touching memoir, she describes the 1979 revolutionary takeover of Ayatollah Khomeini, who overthrew the shah and established an Islamic State, fusing together religious and political life. The result was a unique combination of theocratic and democratic authority, completely unprecedented in history. Through the implementation of sharia law, the new regime took a country which had been gradually westernizing and forced upon it a process of complete and immediate Islamization, much to the detriment of women who, since that time, have fallen victim to institutionalized gender inequality and oppression. Through this rich and compelling story, I became interested in the relationship between religion and gender inequality in Iran.
In order to gain a full understanding of the position of women in Islamic Iran, researchers have used legal analysis, in-depth interviews, content analysis, and sociodemographic data to study women’s status through a variety of perspectives. Over time, they have uncovered patterns in education, employment, reproductive health, and women’s legal rights and obligations, which testify to a deeply embedded culture of institutionalized gender inequality. At the same time, many have been surprised to discover a strong and resilient

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