Position in the Family
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Islamic culture, but similarities in patterns of behavior are not always associated with similarity of religious belief. The relationship between men and women in
Iran has also been influenced, especially in the present century, by western ideas and ways of life. A suitable accommodation between the western and native
cultural elements has not yet been achieved in Iran. Hughes stated that men were granted the power to make all family
decisions, including the movement of women and custody of the children. Your wife, who is your possession, is in fact, your slave, is the mullah’s legal view of
women’s status. The misogyny of the mullahs made women the embodiment of sexual seduction and vice 22. To protect the sexual morality of society, women
had to be covered and banned from engaging in immodest activity. Women must cover their hair and body except for their face and hands and they must not
use cosmetics 23. The legal age at which girls can be married is 9 years formerly 18 years. Polygamy is legal, with men permitted to have four wives
and unlimited number of temporary wives. Women are not permitted to travel or acquire a passport without their husband’s written permission. A woman is not
permitted to be in the company of a man who is not her husband or a male relative. Public activities are segregated. Women are not allowed to engage in
sports in which they may be seen by men; or permitted to watch men’s sports in which men’s legs are not fully covered 23.
Furthermore, The New Encyclopædia Britannica mentions that the organizational principle of Iranian kinship is patriliny. This means several things:
1 Formal authority is vested in males. 2 Males are the primary property holders
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and property inheritors. 3 Membership in the kinship group is determined through males but not through females 863. Traditionally, the civil rights of
women have been minimal, women as individuals are often not as completely passive and subordinate as it sometimes assumed. The influence of mothers on
their son is reported to be profound and persistent; especially in choosing the brides for their son 864.
The head of the household-father and the husband- expects obedience and respects from other members of family. In return, he is obligated to support them
and to satisfy their spiritual, social, and material needs. In practice, he is strict disciplinarian. http:www.csis.orgmideast0101current history.pdf According
to this, women’s position is under their husband. This is an example of subordinate position in Iran culture.
Women generally use the chador veil when in public and when males not related to them in the house. In the traditional view, an ideal society is one in
which women are confined to the home, where they perform various domestic tasks associating with managing a household and rearing children. In Iran, the
family is the basis of the social structure. The concept of the family is more private than in many other cultures. Female relatives must be protected from
outside influences and are taken care of at all the times. It is inappropriate to ask questions about an Iranian’s wife or other female relatives because Iranians take
their responsibilities to their family quite seriously. http:www.kwintessential.co.ukresourcesglobal-etiquetteiran-country-
profile.html
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