Shams ol-Moluk Mosaheb (1913 – 1997) Born in Tehran, Mosaheb was a poet, a writer, a politician, and a woma’s rights activist.
The third child of politician Mohammad Ali Mosaheb, Shams was the first woman to earn a PhD from Tehran University in 1936. She went on to study for another PhD in the US and Canada. Upon returning to Iran, Shams became a lecturer and was very involved in higher education.
She became the Director of Higher Education and Teaching, and went on to work for the Ministry of Culture with a focus on literacy. She became the Deputy Minister for Education, and was later appointed as one of two female Senators, by the Shah in 1963. She served in this role for 17 years.
Shams was also a woman’s rights activist, and opposed the hijab. She joined the Women’s Organisation of Iran in the 1950’s and worked hard on the women suffrage movement in Iran and advocated for the right of women to vote. Women gained the right to vote in 1963.
She was a strong believer in empathy and understanding as being a foundation of overcoming barriers to women’s equality in Iran, understanding that cultural barriers also needed to be overcome.
She authored many books and wrote poetry (5000 verses), and translated Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice to Farsi. After the Islamic revolution, Sham was arrested, but later released.
She passed away in 1997.
Women, Life, Freedom 