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Challenging
Tradition: Women Inside Iran’s Student Organizations
A
young lady named Bahareh Hedayat succeeded to challenge the traditions of the
governing board of the long-standing student organization Tahkim-e Vahdat(the
Office for the Consolidation of Unity), after its 11-year period without women.
She navigated a labyrinth of political factions to become a member of the
male-dominated Tahkim-e Vahdat’s Central Council. In the 11 years
preceding Ms. Hedayat’s triumph, was there not a single female student capable
of such responsibility – or did the conservative character of the organization
prevent progress in this respect?
Tahkim-e
Vahdat,
like other political organizations in Iran, is limited by the traditions
honored by society. The student organization has tried to justify its lack of
women inside its leadership by pointing to a lack of interest among female
students, conservative attitudes of women, or a lack of competence or
self-confidence necessary for such positions.
But
is the competition between men and women in Iran equal and fair? Although the
root of this uneven playing field starts in the home, this model is perpetuated
by universities. The very presence of a woman (regardless of her age) on the
political scene, as well as establishing her legitimacy as a candidate, require
greater effort than for a man seeking the same position.
Chauvinistic
environments and male-dominated connections have paved the way for men to
succeed in political ventures. Women are either outside of this environment or
they reject the conduct of these groups. While critical of this system
generally, women often lack exposure to it due to a male-dominated family and
society. Sometimes women must leave behind their feminine identity in order to
survive in politics. Staying in the political scene, while remaining true to
one’s female identity, has proved difficult for many potential female leaders.
When
asked about the absence of female students in Tahkim-e Vahdat’s
elections, former board member and political secretary of Tahkim-e Vahdat
Ali Afshari explained: “From its inception, Tahkim-e Vahdat was a
male-dominated group. The few women there had low-profile positions and did not
participate actively in the Central Council’s activities. This context defined Tahkim-e
Vahdat’s view towards its female members. Also, until the second half of
the 1990s, gender-segregation dominated Tahkim-e Vahdat. Local offices
had a women’s branch and their activities were managed separately. Later, Tahkim-e
Vahdat changed this arrangement.” (1)
Mr.
Afshari acknowledges that in certain processes, such as the elections of Tahkim-e
Vahdat, odds are stacked against women: “There was a chauvinistic culture
in Tahkim-e Vahdat and it takes time to change this culture. Of
course, there was no affirmative action for women either. I believe in
meritocracy, not in positive discrimination. If a woman gets elected to a
position with the help of affirmative action and then does not succeed, it can
have a negative effect on women who are very deserving of such positions.”
While the dominant culture of Tahkim-e Vahdat is an important reason
for the lack of female participation, women also choose not to participate in Tahkim-e
Vahdat’s activities because, as the major political opposition group in
Iran, the organization has experienced significant tension. Mr. Afshari reminds
us that “Tahkim-e Vahdat has always been vulnerable and under pressure
from security and governmental authorities. The presence of female students
could have given them another reason to attack the organization. One of the
persistent allegations has been the relationships between male and female
students.”
The
aggressive presence of men in political activities and pursuits has left little
room for women. With the exception of a few exceptional individuals, women who
have been successful in Iran’s political scene have male relatives supporting
them and assisting them in climbing the political hierarchy through their
connections. Although there are many smart, competent women in Iran, not all of
them enjoy the same access. If these women speak their minds and engage in
criticism (or if they support women’s rights) they will be attacked and
marginalized. This reality will effect an organization, even a democratic one.
No
One Threatened Me!
Fatemeh
Haghighatjoo, another former Central Council member of Tahkim-e Vahdat,
identified two main reasons for the lack of female participation in the
organization: “Women, in general assemblies and various offices, had always
been in the minority and this minority was not active. I was elected as a board
member thanks to my activities in the Islamic Student Organization of Tarbiat
Moallem University. At the time, the Supreme Leader’s liaison in the university
had abandoned the university’s Islamic student organization. I actively opposed
this decision and succeeded in reviving the organization. Having demonstrated
my potential, I was elected to two terms as a Tahkim-e Vahdat board
member. The environment in the university was not conducive to female students
becoming active and visible in student organization activities. Also, in a
male-dominated place, men have fewer competitors.”
Ms.
Haghighatjoo did not see male students overtly creating obstacles to the
presence of women in Tahkim-e Vahdat: “In fact, I did not see any active
women during my membership; otherwise, they would have been successful.
However, this does not mean that the challenges are minor. Women of all ages
know that they have to put forth more effort in order to solve these problems
and cannot give up or retreat. I never wanted to be the general secretary of
Tarbiat Moallen University’s Islamic student organization, because I knew that
the boys there would not handle it well. I had to work twice as much as
everyone else. I was responsible for the cultural committee of the
organization, but in fact I was in charge of everything there.” Women are not
necessarily at fault here, according to Ms. Haghighatjoo: “Male-dominated
culture overshadows the competition and makes it more difficult for women.”
Women
who seek advancement in politics have been regarded as power hungry or strange
in some way, while the same attempts by men are regarded as courageous and
legitimate. These realities erode the confidence of many women. Instead of
affirmative action for women to compensate negative historical discrimination,
they have always confronted those men who view women’s political progress as an
insult to their identity.
Traditional
Obstacles
Former
Tahkim-e Vahdat board member Akbar Atri came to this organization from
Allameh Tabatabai University where the majority of students are female. “There
were no legal constraints preventing women from participating in student
activities,” explains Atri. “However, the traditional backgrounds of female
students were very relevant. The most important obstacles were the families of
these young women. There were active and motivated women in the university, but
working with Tahkim-e Vahdat was time-consuming, stressful, and risky
(one could be arrested). Most of the time women’s families did not allow their
daughters to participate in these costly and risky activities. Women also
preferred to stay in low-profile positions of the organization while studying.
At the same time, the political arrangement and connections did not allow the
women to advance in the Tahkim-e Vahdat hierarchy. Often, while the
girls were active in different offices, the representatives of those offices
were boys. Male students frequently thought their female classmates were not
serious enough to work in Tahkim-e Vahdat which was an organization
with a serious agenda. On the other hand, boys were always protective of girls
and concerned about their security. However, today I am hopeful that girls will
be more visible in the board of Tahkim-e Vahdat.”
Speaking
on the condition of anonymity, a female student who was elected to the general
council of an Islamic student organization of a university with a majority of
male students described the challenges she faced: “They would lock the office
in order for me not to attend the meetings; I do not know who exactly was doing
that. They also ignored me. I kept wondering if my presence in that
organization was worth all of these humiliations! I was threatened once, but I
never brought these issues up since I thought these are just tactics to debase
me. Our students were mainly boys. They were friends and hanging out and,
through these friendships, they were building connections. We girls did not
have this same opportunity.” Eventually, this young lady rose to these challenges
and conducted several speeches and was finally elected to the governing board
of her university’s student group with broad support.
Women
Are Here to Stay
Bahareh
Hedayat, now a board member of Tahkim-e Vahdat and the head of the
organization’s committee on women’s affairs identified a series of
characteristics which explain the shifting demographics inside Islamic student
associations. Iran’s society has a male chauvinistic culture and our girls have
grown up in this culture. As a result, they do not expect more than what
society allows them to achieve and do not claim their undermined rights. On the
other hand, political activities in Iran require significant courage as well as
personal drive and optimism; these characteristics rarely get a chance to
flourish in our women. In other words, the drive to engage in political
activities is killed in the early stages of a girl’s life. A girl who is
admitted to university and confronted with the political atmosphere of Islamic
student organizations is more surprised than frightened. In fact, these girls
rarely recognize the benefits of political ventures. Although this is somewhat
true of many male students as well, since the costs of political activities are
very high, their motivation for following political and social issues is
stronger.
College
admission rates for girls used to be significantly lower than boys, leading to
more male-dominated Islamic student organizations. But throughout the last two
decades, the number of girls admitted to universities has dramatically
increased. As a result, women have experienced considerable progress in
university activities including those of Islamic student organizations.
A
relatively non-discriminatory attitude toward female students has taken hold in
the last four to five years. While the number of girls active in Tahkim-e
Vahdat remains low, their presence and activities have been accepted. This
positive attitude toward women encourages girls inside the system to climb the
ranks of the organization. During the elections, male students as well as
female students were eliminated, demonstrating that their victories were not
based on gender.
At
the same time, in recent years, only ten women have been significantly involved
in this organization. Most of them ended their activities with Tahkim-e
Vahdat upon graduation. This number, compared to at least 300 men active
in Tahkim-e Vahdat, is not significant. However, there were only ten
to fifteen people out of these 300 who were elected as board members.
For
some time, Tahkim-e Vahdat has been heavily engaged in politics and it
was not inclined to revise its policies. Meanwhile, the new generation in
Iran’s universities is different from those in Tahkim-e Vahdat’s
leadership, with different needs and goals. Fortunately, the previous
leadership has demonstrated its awareness of this problem; Tahkim-e Vahdat
acknowledged this problem in its last statement, demanding change.
Unlike
the past years, today’s dominant culture of society allows women to enter male-
dominated circles. In fact, men are sometimes a minority in women’s circles. As
a result, in Islamic student organizations, we can see a breakdown of
male-dominated atmosphere and stronger presence of women. Now, women inside the
governing bodies of Tahkim-e Vahdat and its committees are here to
stay.
Although
there are few girls active in the central leadership of Tahkim-e Vahdat,
girls are active members of Tahkim-e Vahdat’s governing boards inside
various universities; this number has increased significantly in recent years,
reflecting progress. The most difficult obstacle remains the cultural issues
mentioned above.
Asked
about male students’ resistance to female membership in Tahkim-e Vahdat’s
governing boards, Hedayat answered: “I was one of these girls. In fact, there
were concerns by different factions of Tahkim-e Vahdat about women’s
issues, which led to a revival of these issues in the last few years. These
activities and this attention made my efforts in the women’s committee stand
out. While there were lots of problems with my appointment, with the
persistence of both factions in Tahkim-e Vahdat, and of course my own
determination, I was finally elected. Chauvinism is just a small part of the
problem, in my view. My activities and strong record were the reason that other
members continued to support my service on the governing board.”
After
all these years, male students active in Islamic student organizations have
come to understand that without women and their activities, they cannot gain
democratic legitimacy. Those who fight for democracy cannot ignore a large
portion of Iran’s university body because of their gender. Women can vitalize
the governing board of Tahkim-e Vahdat by putting forth a tolerant,
unified political stance and make it a powerful medium for the expression of
students’ grievance. It will open a new chapter in the history of student
organizations in Iran’s universities.
(1)
Quotations are from an in-person interview with Mr. Afshari, Mr. Atri, Ms.
Haghighatjoo, and Ms. Heydayat.
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