33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

8 women in more colorful dress, it is loose-fitting and conservative as all skin is covered to the hands and feet. Men in Iran have significantly shifted to conservative western-styled clothing, but this is not consistent across the country. Many men continue to wear more traditional clothing items, including the dishdasha. As a visitor to Iran you are likely on a tour, so check with your tour company for the most recent recommendations on travel to the country. However, some things that haven't changed in some time is the conservative nature of dress in the country. Always cover your arms and legs in Iran and women must always cover their hair by law. Also avoid anything that may indicate where you are from or that may encourage social unrest. Although wearing a shirt with a flag of a foreign country or a foreign country's soccer jersey (football kit) may seem innocent in Iran it can be interpreted very differently and may send you to prison or get you deported. Gender roles Marjane Satrapi Before the Iranian Revolution, the role of men and women contrasted significantly. While men were provided with advantageous opportunities and rights, women had limited rights associated with divorce, custody, and inheritance and they were challenged with extremely restricted living standards. Women in Iran had disadvantages in all aspects of Iranian society particularly in court, for employment, and educational opportunities. Due to an unbalanced distribution of rights among men and women before the revolution, a woman's testimony in court is worth just half as much as a man's. Also, public segregation of the sexes led to the use of the chador or veil which women were forced to wear when in public or when presented to a male not related to them in their house. Since women could not perform much action without their husband or male relative’s permission, women had difficulty in getting high standard jobs or any job at all. Thus, the traditional view of women before the revolution was just an ideal view. In reality, women were kept inside the home, performing domestic tasks associated with managing a household and taking care of children. Unlike the low standard jobs available to women, men worked in the public domain in the fields, factories, markets, and offices. The strength of these traditional stances was reflected in the public education system. Despite the overall increase in literacy for women, formal education was still limited. This was because there were separate schools for boys and girls from the elementary through the secondary levels and if there were educational gains, they were mainly at the elementary level. Conclusively, the education system did little to change sex roles or women's perceptions of themselves as nurturing mothers and providers. After the Iranian Revolution, which took place from 1978 to 1979, the revolution left a substantial impact on the role of women. Women, primarily from the traditional background, participated greatly in demonstrations leading up to the revolution. Hence, when the revolution came to an end, the role of women drastically changed aspects of daily life especially in the social factors. University enrollment and the number of women in the civil service and higher education have risen. Also, several women have been elected to the Iranian parliament. For example, once Iranian women quickly discovered the gap between reality and expectations, they were able to earn numerous skilled and academic positions; nearly 1,000 women were involved in executive positions. As the role of women advanced due to the rise of more thn 80% of women accepted into universities and higher education institutions, the percentage amongst men fell during the same period by more than 38%. Finally, in current Iranian society, the