Iranian Women and the Enduring Struggle for Gender Justice
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Iranian Women and the Enduring Struggle for Gender Justice
LA Progressive -March12th2026
By Elahe Amani
March 8, is the International Women’s Day and it felt definitely different this year for Iranian women. For many Iranian women activists in the diaspora, it did not arrive with purple banners or the familiar rhythm of events, speeches, Interview and solidarity messages about gender equality as before. Across the diaspora, the devastating war in Iran weighed heavier than song and celebration within Iranian women’s movement circles.
Inside Iran, the emotional wounds of mourning families from the massacres of February 2026 still remain bleeding and unhealed while people are enduring a disastrous war. During the 47 dark years of the Islamic Republic’s rule, despite the regime’s brutality and the absence of free speech or assembly, on March 8th, women gathered at home or quietly in public spaces to mark the day. Resistance has long been woven into the daily lives of Iranian women, the courage to challenge the authoritarian and patriarchal power structure at home and in society, to stand firm, and to hold space for reaffirming their commitment to freedom, democracy, and gender justice, while renewing and recharging their struggle as they move forward, never turning back. However, this International Women’s Day carried a somber air, marked by echoes of raids, shattered schools, and fallen walls that silenced more than 160 young voices at Minab Elementary School. Indeed, war is a failure of diplomacy, politics, and humanity.
The first organized celebration of March 8 in Iran took place in 1922 (Esfand 17, 1300) in Gilan Province, organized by the women’s association *Peyk-e Saʿādat-e Nesvān* (“Messenger of Women’s Happiness”). Led by figures such as Roshanak No‘doost, this commemoration marked one of the earliest expressions of collective women’s activism in Iran. Following the 1979 Revolution, women in Tehran and a few other cities organized historic demonstrations on March 8–14 (Esfand 17–23, 1357), protesting compulsory veiling. Thousands took to the streets to demand legal rights and equal protection under the law and to protest mandatory hijab. The mandatory hijab laws were temporarily stepped back and postponed, but were imposed a year later. In subsequent decades, public observance of March 8 was curtailed by the authoritarian and misogynist regime of Islamic Republic, though the day endured through private gatherings, limited protest assemblies, and other creative and brave acts that often led to arrest and imprisonment. Every year, in the lead-up to March 8, Iranian authorities threaten women and warn them against gathering to demand their rights. Activists, journalists, singers, and other public figures are routinely targeted through arbitrary detention, flogging, coercive interrogations, threats, and the shutdown of their social media accounts. A few days after March 8, 2005, at least five women’s rights activists were arrested marking a pattern of repression that has continued and expanded in the past 47 years.
The historical origins of International Women’s Day lie in the early twentieth-century labor struggles, when working women mobilized for fair wages, shorter hours, political participation, and workplace dignity. Among these early actions, the 1908 protest by women garment workers in New York was particularly influential: thousands of women marched for improved labor conditions and political rights, mirroring the growing momentum of international labor and socialist movements advocating women’s equality. In 1910, at the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, German socialist Clara Zetkin proposed the establishment of an annual international day dedicated to women’s rights and suffrage—a proposal unanimously supported by more than one hundred women representing seventeen countries. The first International Women’s Day was celebrated in 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark, and Switzerland, where millions gathered at rallies demanding women’s suffrage and equal rights ( United Nations, International Women’s Day Background).
International Women’s Day (IWD) is an official holiday in many countries and as of 2019 an official holiday the city of Berlin. Over time, the day evolved into a global occasion to honor women’s struggles and achievements in social, political, and economic life. In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations formally recognized March 8 as International Women’s Day. Two years later, in 1977, the UN called on member states to proclaim a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, embedding the commemoration within a broader framework of global gender equality and social justice advocacy.
Crisis, Repression, and Collective Defiance: Iran at a Historical Crossroads
On March 9th, 2026 more than six thousand women gathered in person and online for the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) and the NGO Forum with priority theme emphasizing ensuring and strengthening access to justice for women and girls. It was expected that the stakes are particularly high this year and on the first day, that is what happened. The Agreed Conclusions (document E/CN.6/2026/L.2), a document that has traditionally been adopted by consensus on the theme of the Commission which the theme this year is “ Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers “ was adopted by only one negative vote, the vote of the United State. The 2026 Agreed conclusion addresses the Legal frameworks, policies, and practices that perpetuate inequality must be reformed, while structural barriers preventing women’s full participation in public and private life remain pressing concerns. The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women and the NGO Forum, the world’s largest forum for advancing gender equality has a clear focus: promoting rights, justice, and practical measures to ensure that all women and girls can live safely, speak freely, and participate equally.
The hard reality is that this year, the International Women’s Day arrived at a defining moment. Women and girls have never been closer to equality and never closer to losing it. Despite progress in expanding legal protections against domestic violence and discrimination in some countries, women and girls worldwide remain vulnerable as rights are rolled back and protection systems falter. According to UN Women’s report released on March 4, 2026, millions still continue to face violence including online violence, exclusion, and impunity, as backlash against gender equality intensifies. The 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women / CSW70, held from March 9–19 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, and the NGO Forum provides the world’s largest forum for advancing gender equality with a clear focus: promoting rights, justice, and practical measures to ensure that all women and girls can live safely, speak freely, and participate equally.
Iran Upholds Death Sentence for Labor and Women’s Rights Activist Sharifeh Mohammadi
March 8 is always a moment for reflection, for lessons learned, and for renewed solidarity with women’s movements around the world. It is a time to reflect on the pain of mourning families, those who have lost loved ones in February 2026 massacres and the civilian killed in Iran and neighboring countries in the ongoing war in Iran. It is also a moment to recognize the persistent, everyday resistance of Iranian women both quiet and outspoken and the sacrifices the people of Iran continue to make as they pave the path toward democracy, human rights, dignity, and gender justice. As in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, and many other places around the world, women continue to bear the heaviest burdens of conflict, insecurity, and systemic constraints. Yet their endurance, courage, and defiance continue to define the spirit of March 8, reminding the international community that women’s rights, peace, and justice are inseparable and urgently relevant in both local and global contexts.
So, on March 8th, 2026, we stood in solidarity with women across the world, those who resist, those who rebuild, and those who refuse to let go of hope. Across borders and languages, their courage moves like a tide, carrying the memory of past struggles and the promise of freedoms yet to come. We honored not only the victories won, but also the steadfast and unyielding spirit that insists on dignity, equality, and peace. In this shared moment, our voices join like a chorus—perhaps gentle, yet unbreakable.
The opinions expressed here are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the LA Progressive.
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