Class+Structure+in+Iran+Hannah+Gordon

= = = = = = = = =Class Structure in Iran= =By: Hannah Gordon=

Social hierarchy plays a part in every society. In Iran inequality in social classes had sparked the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Social classes before and after the revolution were quite different. Before the revolution ones wealth and political power predominately determined ones social class. However after the revolution “wealth was apparently no longer an attribute of authority, as the example of Khomeini demonstrated." (Helen Metz) Religious expertise became the major criteria for being affiliated with the new upper class.   The middle class stayed the same after the revolution, but gained more power because the new political elites were generally pulled from the middle class. Pre revolution the middle class was broken up into two major sections, religious and secular. Marji's family was more modern and secular. After the revolution the religious people of the middle class gained more power as “the religious outlook dominated politics and society.” (Helen Metz) The more secular group began to object the forceful religious laws, that were taking away personal freedoms. Marji and her mother went to demonstrations opposing wearing the veil. At one point Marji is stopped on the street for looking too western. "They were guardians of the revolution, the women's branch. This group had been added in 1982, to arrest woman who were improperly veiled." (Satrapi 133) The working class was broken up into different groups depending on ones occupation and value of skills. People in the skilled working class looked down on those below them, this created an unstable people. Rather than joining together they emulated the unequal social structure above them. The working class consists of people with and without work. Those who have a job often only work seasonaly, or part time. Some of this work consists of things such as cleaning, serving, or gardening. Others resort to prostitution, begging or gambling. Before and after the revolution worker strikes and unions have been controlled by the government. Shortly after the revolution no government actions were taken to help the poorest of the poor living in the city slums, who face malnutrion, violence, lack of health care, and little education. In many societies, including Iran, it is difficult to change your social class in your lifetime. The social class one is born into is often the social class they stay in. Marji's grandfather says "It disgusts me that people are condemned to a bleak future by their social class." (Satrapi 23) One reason people stay in their social class is b ecause people from different social classes aren't aloud to marry. For example in //Persepolis// Marji's maid can't marry their neighbor, who she loves, because he is in a higher social class. Marji sees this as incredibly unfair, especially as her parents are taking part in a revolution to fight for the lower class. Marji is ashamed that she lives in luxury while others suffer. She realizes, "The reason for my shame and for the revolution are the same: the difference between social classes." (Satrapi 33) __Sources:__ Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York, United States: Pantheon Books, 2003. (Translation Copyright)

Helen Chapin Metz, ed. Iran: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1987.

http://countrystudies.us/iran/48.htm

