| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The 100"' Anniversary of lnternational Women's Day on March 8"' was marked around the Middle East by only a small number of events, according to the International Women's Day (IWD) 20]! website. in stark contrast to other parts of globe. Nonetheless, the consistent and visible participation of women in the popular protests which have swept the region during 201 l puts paid to the long-held image ol' Middle Eastern women as passive and powerless beings. What this means regarding the struggle to improve the status of women in the region remains to be seen. As in the rest of the world, the struggle for women's rights in the Middle East is ongoing. Arguably, though, the region poses especially formidable challenges. Nowhere else are the gains already achieved so precarious, or as reliant upon a particular regime and its ability to steer power away from forces opposed to expanding women's rights. The 1979 Iranian Revolution provides prime evidence to that effect: In its aftermath, women ofall social classes, religious backgrounds and political ideologies were Forced to conform to restrictive socio~political and economic roles dictated by Ayatollah Khomeini and his supporters.
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