Cartoon by Mana Neyestani

Three years after Mahsa Amini's death, Iranian women have seized 'irreversible' liberties

By Bahar MAKOOI

France 24: When Ahmad* returned to Iran in May, he did not recognise Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport. After five years away, his sister was waiting for him in the arrivals hall with a bouquet of flowers, dressed in a white blouse and a scarf casually draped over her shoulders. His niece, standing next to her mother, had her hair tied back in a ponytail and there was no veil or even a scarf in sight.

"I wondered if I was really in Iran," Ahmad confided. "In addition to the emotions of the reunion, I felt uneasy when I saw them behind the glass window of the arrivals hall. I was afraid they would be arrested, because the airport is a secure and highly monitored place. But when I turned my head, I saw other women who were much less covered than them."

Ahmad noticed these changes even among his more traditional family members. A brother-in-law now tolerates his daughter's clothing and socialising. His older sister has abandoned the manto, the long Persian coat that derives its name from the French manteau. She now favours simple, short blazers matched with trousers.

Iranian society has changed significantly in recent years, particularly following the uprisings that erupted after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman was arrested by Iran's morality police for "improperly" wearing her headscarf during a visit to Tehran and died in police custody.

"There has clearly been a before and after, marked by profound transformations, particularly in urban areas," said Jonathan Piron, a historian and Iran specialist at the Brussels-based Etopia research centre. "While the death of Mahsa Amini and the protests that followed did not trigger a political revolution, they did mark a societal revolution."

Azadeh Kian, a sociologist and director of Paris Cité University's Centre for Teaching, Documentation and Research in Feminist Studies (CEDREF), agrees. "Today, women are taking over public spaces as they see fit. They have won their freedom," explained Kian. "And this movement is irreversible."

A different life for teenagers

Iran today is nothing like the country she grew up in, says Sepideh*, 40, a mother of three, including a teenage daughter, from Tehran.

"Things have moved very quickly over the past three years," noted Sepideh. "I'm from the generation that grew up just after the [1979 Islamic] revolution. Then came the [1980-1988 Iran-Iraq] war. School was frightening; our teachers were very strict and very tough on us. We had to constantly adjust our headscarves. Everything had to be black. White socks were out of the question. I always dreaded the day my daughter would experience the same thing."

So far, her 14-year-old eldest daughter's school experience has been far less severe, Sepideh acknowledges with relief. "I am so happy that my daughter no longer has to go through that," she said, noting that her daughter has abandoned the maqnaé, the hooded veil that is part of the Iranian school uniform for girls. "She and her friends just let it hang around their necks. The administration at her [private] school doesn't say anything."

The police 'look away'

The changes are particularly visible on Tehran’s public transportation, notes Sepideh. "In the subway I take every day to work, I see mothers in chadors [the severe, all-encompassing veil] and their daughters in T-shirts and trousers. I also see groups of students, some veiled, others not, all laughing together. The police see them, sometimes make an annoyed remark, then they look away," said Sepideh.

Kian believes the Iranian authorities have relaxed their position to avoid a backlash from the populace. "They fear their youth, who were very active three years ago during the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, particularly the unprecedented solidarity that this uprising sparked. This intergenerational solidarity has extended even to religious families," she noted >>>