About Us

Women in Iran have been fighting for their fundamental rights for over a century. Despite their active participation in political processes throughout the 20th century, their rights were consistently overlooked—both during the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 (1285 SH) and the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (1357 SH). During the protests of 1979, hundreds of thousands of women took to the streets, hopeful that regime change would pave the way for democracy and greater female participation in shaping the nation's future policies. These women believed that, regardless of geographical, social, or political differences—and despite cultural barriers—they could freely make decisions about their personal and collective lives. Unbeknownst to them, no revolutionary force with varying political ideologies truly sought to achieve women’s liberation and independence. These forces never clearly articulated demands rooted in social, gender, and legal equality during the victory of the revolution or in establishing the new government. As a result, women lost even the limited rights they had fought for over seventy years, right after the revolution’s triumph.

Today, as we stand in this pivotal moment of history, women’s rights activists from diverse social, ethnic, religious, gender, and ideological backgrounds are committed—by learning from bitter past experiences—to ignite a new path forward. This time, with a strategic and purposeful approach, we aim to boldly stride towards a future founded on equality and freedom.

Currently, Iranian society is undergoing a profound and transformative political and social experience. The national uprising, led by women and embodied in the rallying cry “Woman, Life, Freedom,” began in autumn 2022 following the tragic death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini while in police custody. This movement continues to gain momentum, promising a different future. Yet, we have learned from experience that the mere presence of women in protests and their insistence on leading the struggle for basic human rights and gender equality is not sufficient. We must see “Woman, Life, Freedom” not just as a slogan, but as a profound call developing from concrete demands.

Furthermore, we need to clearly articulate and communicate our understanding of this slogan, not only as a rallying cry but as a vision for transformation—one rooted in equality, justice, and liberation—and ensure that it is accessible and meaningful to all.

A key step in this effort involves compiling and analyzing documents from women’s movements and struggles over the past four decades, aimed at achieving gender equality.

Some of these documents include the following:

Feminist Collective's Timeline

جنبش روز زن و تظاهرات تاریخی زنان در اعتراض به قانون حجاب اجباری در هفدهم اسفند۱۳۵۷(هشت مارس ۱۹۷۹)
چانه‌زنی فعّالان جنبش زنان برای پیوستن به کنوانسیون حذف تبعیض علیه زنان
کارزار «با هم علیه ایدز و اعتیاد» ۱۳۸۱
تظاهرات زنان و تقاضای آنها برای لغو قوانین تبعیض آمیز قانون اساسی علیه زنان در خرداد ۱۳۸۴
کارزارهای متعدّد علیه حجاب اجباری از فردای اعلام حجاب اجباری تا امروز
کارزار یک میلیون امضا برای تغییر قوانین تبعیض آمیز علیه زنان، ۱۳۸۵
کارزار علیه حکم سنگسار، ۱۳۸۵
کارزارهای متعدد برای حضور زنان در استادیوم‌های ورزشی
پیش‌نویس منشور زنان، ۱۳۸۸-۱۳۸۵
کارزار علیه لایحه ضدّ خانواده، ۱۳۸۷
کارزار «همگرایی مطالبات زنان در انتخابات»، ۱۳۸۸
کارزار «با هم در برابر اسیدپاشی»، ۱۳۹۲
کارزار «زنان برای تغییر چهره مردانه مجلس»، ۱۳۹۵
کارزار «توقّف قتل‌های ناموسی»، ۱۳۹۸
کارزارهای وسیع جنبش « من هم»٬ ۱۳۹۹
کارزارهای اتنیکی آموزش به زبان مادری ٫ ۱۳۸۵ تا کنون
کارزار زنان عرب و بختیاری در اهواز علیه حمایت ج ا از قانون خونبس۱۳۹۹ تا کنون

Since the 1979 Revolution, hundreds of spontaneous and unorganized protest activities with shared goals have continuously sustained the Iranian women’s resistance movement on a daily basis. Over the past decade, interconnected women’s movements have merged with other social movements, giving rise to a new wave of activism. Several online campaigns—both within Iran and abroad—have emerged through digital spaces. Among the most prominent are street campaigns against mandatory hijab, led courageously by the “Girls of the Revolution” since 2017, as well as women’s legal advocacy campaigns representing various ethnic groups, and gender and environmentally focused campaigns.

Our primary aim is to draft a legal bill that, reflecting on the history of women’s struggles, articulates their most important demands, and fosters discussion and debate across different gatherings. To this end, a group of women’s movement activists from diverse generations, ethnic backgrounds, sexual and gender identities, and political-social perspectives have come together to initiate this legal draft.

The goal of preparing this bill is to produce a precise, concise, and comprehensive draft text that can be seamlessly incorporated into future legal frameworks, including a new constitution for Iran. Developed from a gendered perspective, this bill will enshrine women’s rights and serve as a dynamic and evolving document. If necessary, and in response to social and political changes within Iranian society, the content of this bill will be open to revision, ensuring it continually reflects the current needs and aspirations of women across different periods.

Our Values

We are a collective of feminist activists adopting an intersectional approach to women’s rights and committed to the revolutionary movement of Woman, Life, Freedom currently unfolding in Iran. Our core values and practical principles are outlined as follows:

Diversity, equality, justice, inclusivity, and accessibility form the foundational pillars of our operational approach. Equality and inclusion are fundamental elements of this movement. Individuals and groups with various identities and experiences actively participate in all stages of decision-making. The presence of these diverse actors enriches discussions and fosters a comprehensive perspective that considers the complexities of the current conditions, making their engagement of vital importance.

An Intersectional Feminist Approach:
We recognize the historical and organizational forms of dominance and discrimination rooted in gender, race, ethnicity, class, religion, nationality, and other social categories. This feminist approach identifies and examines structures that have historically harmed women’s rights, status, and position within patriarchal societies.

Revolutionary Aspiration:
Our demands are grounded in the principles of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, aiming to eradicate all intersecting and systemic forms of domination—sexual, racial, class-based, imperialist, and others. Full equality is the core value of this movement. Our demands are maximalist in scope and aim for fundamental, radical change.

A Catalogue of Demands:
This document embodies the core ideas of feminist activists and scholars, prioritizing the voices and interests of marginalized groups. Recognizing and addressing their demands benefits the collective good and enriches the broader social fabric, including men's rights and perspectives. With this approach, our goal is not to negotiate with male-dominated political parties; rather, this document aims to outline women’s demands for inclusion in Iran’s future constitution.

Beyond Gender Binaries:
We view gender as a social construct with a spectrum of expressions. We acknowledge the non-unitary nature of identity groups. While categorization within social groups is a common and practical cultural practice, recognizing the fluidity and complexity of these groups is essential. Equally important is identifying hidden power hierarchies and the presence of systems of domination within these groupings.

A Living Document:
We recognize the need for flexibility and accountability amid current cultural, social, and political shifts. Therefore, this document is an evolving text, open to proposals and feedback from women, women’s groups, and other civil society organizations committed to social change.