Voices from Iran The Changing Lives of Iranian Women by Mahnaz Kousha (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2002. 244 pages.)

Abstract

Voices from Iran is authored by Mahnaz Kousha, an Iranian college professor
who lectures on issues relating to women in the Middle East at Macalester
College in Minnesota. The 10-chapter work provides a qualitative study, featuring
15 Iranian women, that addresses the position of women in Iran.
Participants ranged in age from from 38 to 55 and lived in the capital city of
Tehran from 1995 to 1997. These women came from low- to high-income
families, had educational backgrounds that range from high school diplomas
to college/university degrees, and possessed employment experience in Iran.
Even though the work can be considered a valuable piece in that it serves
as a medium through which the voices of Iranian women can be heard, it does
not necessarily reflect the experiences of all women due to the limitation of
the research itself (region, language, religion). In addition, some of Kousha’s
conclusions are far reaching and can be rendered debatable. For instance, the
issue of why educated mothers still do not treat their daughters fairly and
seem unable to help them question and resist their social status is not
addressed. The author also fails to provide an in-depth analysis regarding the
impact of family class and culture in shaping the subjectivities of their daughters.
As well, the social and cultural impact of the Islamic revolution on
women’s rights in Iran is not discussed. Moreover, a closing summary or
assessment is not made at the end of the work.
The book’s first three chapters include an introduction, a methodology
chapter, and an introduction to the research participants. The analysis of the
data begins from chapters 4 and 5, where the different relationships
between mothers and daughters are discussed. Some of the participants’
experiences involve mothers who openly shared their problems and concerns
with them such as the isolation and powerlessness that they have with
their husbands or mothers-in-law. Others complained that their mothers discriminated
against them while giving their brothers preferential treatment.
Of interest is the fact that the author does not explore the underlying factors
that may have contributed to this problematic behavior such as parental
education, socioeconomic status, local culture, and religious issues.
In chapter 6, Kousha analyzes the relationship between fathers and
daughters. The father is seen as the first man in his daughter’s life, providing ...