La Voz

De Anza College's Middle Eastern Studies Outreach Program hosted a speaking event on Iranian women and history last Wednesday at De Anza College's MQ-10. The event was presented by the International Studies division's "Global Issues and Perspectives" class.

Sholeh Shahrokhi spoke in support of the Outreach Program regarding progression of women's role in today's Iran. Shahrokhi explained that women were the first ones to follow and not resist the rule of wearing scarves in the 1920's because it kept them away from "Westernization."

When Shahrokhi recently lived and worked in Iran, she mentioned that women in the workforce still wore the scarves and covered most of their head, which is considered conservative. Shahrokhi said that all of the jobs held by women in Iran are family-oriented so there would not be any conflict within economic and political matters in their workforce.

Another topic discussed was education and the Internet and how they both were key in contacting the world of Iran. "60 percent of college and university students in Iran are women, and 75 percent of the population in Iran is 30 years old or younger," she said.

Shahrokhi said that the fact that Farsi, the language spoken in Iran, is the third most spoken language in the world shows that the country has become a very important player in the world market.

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