The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022, remains the most potent force challenging Iran’s theocratic order. What began as spontaneous defiance against compulsory hijab laws has become a sustained campaign for systemic change, driven by women whose collective courage has redefined political activism. No longer content with symbolic acts of resistance, Iranian women now position themselves as architects of the next national rebirth, demanding not only social freedoms but a seat at the table of power itself.
In July 2024, moderate reformist Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s early presidential election with 54.8% of the vote in a runoff, marking the first time in decades that a non-hardliner reached Iran’s highest office. His platform—loosening social restrictions, reining in the morality police and engaging diplomatically with the West—offered hope to many Iranians, particularly women. Yet Pezeshkian’s promises collided with the reality of Iran’s political architecture: Ultimate authority resides with the unelected supreme leader and the Guardian Council, which continues to vet and disqualify candidates, most often women, from senior positions.
Even as Pezeshkian took office, the compulsory veiling law was tightened, imposing harsher penalties for noncompliance and emboldening the so-called enforcers of morality. Arrests for “improper” dress continue, and women-led protests on university campuses and city streets regularly draw brutal crackdowns. These reprisals only fuel further solidarity: Each viral video of an arrest or beating becomes a rallying cry, uniting disparate neighborhoods in anonymous but coordinated acts of defiance.
Education has been an unintentional ally of this revolution. Thanks to post-revolutionary policies, more than 60% of Iran’s university students are now women. These graduates—digitally savvy, globally connected and politically conscious—use encrypted messaging apps and social media to document state abuses, organize flash protests and amplify one another’s voices beyond Iran’s borders. Their decentralized networks of teachers, students, health workers and mothers share legal advice, medical aid and secure routes for demonstrations, ensuring that no single repression tactic can extinguish the flames of revolt.
Iran’s protests also tap into deep cultural currents. In Shi’ite tradition, the 40th-day funeral rite (chehelom) symbolizes renewal through mourning. Feminist activists have repurposed these rituals into protests—silent processions through cemeteries, poetry recitals in mourning halls and public gatherings that end with chants of Zan, Zendegi, Azadi, meaning “Women, Life, Freedom.” Far from dissipating grief, these ceremonies channel collective sorrow into renewed energy, creating a cyclical pattern of resistance that endures even after Internet shutdowns and mass arrests.
Beyond the streets, women are drafting the blueprints for governance. Underground advisory groups of legal scholars, economists and social scientists have begun drafting legislation on gender equality, family-law reform and anti-discrimination measures. These “shadow policies” signal an evolution from protest to policymaking. Women are preparing not just to challenge the regime but to replace it with a more inclusive system when opportunity arises.
Economic hardship has further galvanized women’s activism. Sanctions and domestic mismanagement have driven inflation above 40%, pushing many families into poverty. Women, disproportionately employed in low-wage and informal sectors, face the double burden of economic precarity and legal restrictions that grant husbands veto power over wives’ employment. In response, grassroots cooperatives—artisanal workshops, textile collectives, digital freelancing networks—enable women to earn independent incomes, weakening patriarchal controls and funding ongoing activism.
Global solidarity amplifies their struggle. From Paris to Perth in Australia, international protests keep Iranian women in the headlines and apply diplomatic pressure on Tehran. Human rights organizations and experts from the United Nations document abuses, pushing foreign governments to link sanctions relief to concrete human-rights benchmarks. This external spotlight makes harsh crackdowns costlier, as the regime risks further isolation for every brutal repression.
Every major demonstration and viral social-media post undercuts the regime’s claim to moral and social legitimacy. Even Pezeshkian’s allies warn that unaddressed women’s demands could trigger a broader collapse of public trust. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, now in his mid-80s and reportedly in frail health, faces a succession dilemma: Concede to women’s calls for equality or double down on repression, risking widespread revolt.
Iran’s next revolution will not mirror the clerical uprising of 1979 or a coup d’état. It will be a social revolution, led by women who combine everyday acts of defiance—hijab burnings, public haircuts, livestreamed protests—with substantive institution-building. By fusing symbolic disruption with policy drafting and economic self-sufficiency, they are ensuring that their movement endures far longer than any protest wave.
The unfinished revolution of Iranian women stands as a testament to collective agency. From Amini’s martyrdom to mass mobilizations, they have shattered the myth of passive acquiescence. As long as compulsory hijab laws persist, as long as women are barred from top offices, and as long as economic hardships fall hardest on female shoulders, this movement will continue.
The next president, male or female, must reckon with a new reality: Iranian women are not merely agents of change; they are the change.