Women Like Us

Persheng Sadegh-Vaziri
60 minutes • 2002
Also available on DVD

In the west there are many misconceptions about women from the Middle East and Muslim women. Iranian-born Persheng Sadegh-Vaziri left Iran for the United States just before the 1979 Revolution. She was 17. She later returned to meet with childhood friends and examine what life is like for women in Iran at the beginning of the 21st century.

Five women share their experiences: Sudabeh, a journalist who tries to survive in a difficult political climate; Kobra, a traditional farmer who lost her husband in the Iran-Iraq war; Maryam, a nurse who has left her family in the country to live an independent life in Tehran; Mahsa, a college graduate from a westernized background; and Raheleh, a college graduate from an Islamic family. Against a backdrop of Islam, they share their views on the veil, the relationship of Iranian women to the West, and the long-ranging impacts of the 1979 Revolution on women in their country.

Women Like Us offers insight into the changing role of women in Iran from a unique and informed perspective.

Subject(s): Iran, Middle East, Muslims, Women