Beyond the veil: Discrimination against Women and the Struggle for Gender Equality in Iran from the Revolution to the Mahsa Amini Movement School of History Annual Lecture in the History of Women, Gender and Sexuality, by Dr Leila Alikarami

The 1979 Revolution in Iran resulted in a setback for the Iranian women's struggle to fully achieve their human and citizenship rights. Women have been since looked upon as second class citizens and discriminated against in all aspects of social and political life. Patriarchy and the state's own version of Sharia have led to the enactment of laws and regulations that allow for such discrimination to turn into violence and severe punishments, including death, for those citizens that question them.

The death of Mahsa Amini and the ensuing unrest illustrate that women are not passive towards their situation and have gained considerable solidarity from men in their quest for equality. The issues regarding equality can only be tackled and sustained with the cooperation and accompaniment of all to build an egalitarian society. This includes establishing accountability mechanisms which rein in the state.

This lecture will provide an overview of the struggle for gender equality in Iran from the Revolution to the current protests. It will be informed by the author's personal experience at key moments of this process, such as the Million Signature Campaign, as well her decades of legal research and practice into the women question in post-revolutionary Iran.