For a male-dominated political event – an election between four men, in a poll controlled by a Guardian Council of 12 men, in a country run by a male supreme leader, women have played an eye-catching, almost dramatic role both in the Iranian elections and the succeeding unrest.
"The sheer number of females that have either been hurt or killed show that women were in the front line of the recent demonstrations," Kianoosh Sanjari, an influential Iranian blogger, told The Media Line. "For the first time since the Islamic revolution, women felt they could make a difference and have their voices heard without stepping outside of the Islamic boundaries."
"Women have even taken the step of asking reformist clerics for advice on how their rights can be protected while remaining within the boundaries of Islam," Sanjari continued. "The barrier is broken; women now feel empowered not only to throw rocks, but to make an impact on society as a whole."
Sanjari argued that it was the shooting of a woman – Neda Soltan – during the demonstrations that sparked international outrage about the protests. "Her death and strength also pushed and forced world leaders, such as Obama, to discuss the human rights violations that the people, including the women, were facing."
Symbols of transformation in Iranian gender relations were apparent early in the election campaigns, as presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi openly asserted the need for greater rights for women: he called for an end to legalized gender discrimination, an increase in women’s participation in Iranian workplaces and politics and a curb in the powers of religious police.
To differing degrees, the other opposition candidates followed suit and for the first time since the Islamic revolution, women’s rights entered public discourse.
Many analysts have credited defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi’s wife Zahra Rahnavard with spearheading the gender change.
"Many compared the role of Rahnavard with Michelle Obama," Sanjari said, referring to the United States First Lady. "She has become a symbol for the women’s rights movement.
Kourosh Ziabari, an Iranian journalist and the political correspondent at Foreign Policy Journal, agreed. "Zahra Rahnavard has played a significant role in persuading and encouraging the young women of Iran to take part in the elections," Ziabari said. "Zahnavard’s coalition with one of the most prominent female political activists of Iran, Masoumeh Ebtekar, who was the first female vice-president of Iran under Mr. Khatami, created a vigorous enthusiasm and zealousness among the young women in Iran."
"The presence of Rahnavard as a prominent figurehead along with her husband was an awakening shock to the masculine political atmosphere of Iran," Ziabari continued. "Even the conservative candidate Mohsen Rezaei, imitated Moussavi and brought his wife to the Interior Ministry at the day of registration."
With the possibility that Moussavi may be arrested, Ziabari argued it would be Rahnavard, not a male deputy, to take the reins. "We should expect Zahra Rahnavard to be playing a more effectual role and take the whole leadership of the reform campaign after her husband… As the first female university chancellor of Iran since the Islamic Revolution, Mir-Hossein’s wife has spearheaded the political leadership of "Green Movement" in Iran, and some political analysts believe that she has been even more influential and renowned than her husband."
As one Western columnist put it: "Excuse me for asking, but can we dare to look forward to President Zahra Rahnavard in 2013?"
Other analysts argued the role of women in the elections and the protests fell in line with long term transformations in Iranian gender roles over the past forty years. "Both sides had huge numbers of women participating in their campaigns,” Dr Seyyed Mohammad Marandi, a lecturer at the University of Tehran, told The Media Line. "But this is nothing new. Women have been playing an increasing role in society over the last two to three decades, in fact 60% of our university students are women."
Women’s rights have seen gradual improvements over recent years in Iran. Efforts are underway to reform gender-based compensation laws, in which a family of a woman who dies is awarded half the amount awarded to a dead man. Iranian parliamentarians have also discussed reforms to gender-based inheritance rights and introducing laws against the ability of Iranian men to marry many wives.