| Women
| Persian
women have played an important role throughout history.
Scheherazade, though fictional, is an important
figure of female wit and intelligence, while the
beauty of Mumtaz Mahal inspired the building of
the Taj Mahal itself. While in ancient times, aristocratic
females possessed numerous rights sometimes on par
with men, generally Persian women did not attain
greater parity until the 20th century. However,
Tahirih, the poet, had a great influence on modern
women's movements throughout the Middle East. The
Tahirih Justice Center is named after her. Females
were given such status in ancient Persia that they
were the first to ever serve in a national military.
Persian
women today serve an active role in society. Persian
women today tend to take a more active role in
social, religious and family affairs than their
Arab or Turkish counterparts.[citation needed]
Iranian women can be seen working in a variety
of areas such as politics, law enforcement, transportation
industries, etc. Universities still tend to be
dominated by women in Iran and one may find a
large number of female legislators in the Iranian
Majlis (parliament), even by western standards.
Former Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar, noted
for her eloquence in dealing with western media,
set a new standard for aspiring Iranian female
politicians while serving under President Khatami.
Outstanding Iranian female academics, such as
Laleh Bakhtiar have forever left a mark in the
fields they contribute to.
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