A court in Tabriz, in northwestern Iran, recently ordered a woman to obey her husband, and said that authorities could check on their relations to be sure she was following the order.
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Ghasem Boedi, a lawyer who posted the ruling on Twitter or X, said this would mean monitoring the couple at all times using household and personal devices, which, in principle, goes against Iran’s strict laws that keep intimate contacts private and unseen. Boedi compared the ruling to ancient “slavery laws.”
The decision by the appeals court confirmed a lower court ruling and can not be appealed.
The court called on the couple to maintain the “best of relations,” and ordered them to continue living in the same house, requiring them to have this recorded on devices that could be viewed by a court-appointed social worker for at least six months.
The social worker will report any failure to respect the order, which could lead the court to “partly or wholly” deprive the wife of her financial rights as a spouse.
Right to work
Boedi said that in cases of marital strife, a court can order a wife’s “general” or a “specific” obedience to her husband. General obedience entails decisions such as wanting to leave the house, while specific obedience includes the couple’s sexual relations and “satisfying the husband’s needs.”
In this case, the court did not state explicitly, but Boedi speculated the ruling was general in nature, as the social worker is allowed to call and check on the couple throughout the day
Some call this sexual or gender apartheid.
The ruling is yet another example of how Iran’s laws since the 1979 revolution have restricted women’s rights both inside and outside the home. Some call this sexual or gender apartheid. As respective employment rates indicate, the state has worked to ensure women stay at home and attend to the household. Typically, 68% of working-age men are employed in Iran, and only 14% of working-age women.
The court order fits into Tehran’s broad emphasis on the family over not individuals as the chief pillar of society, and its recent drive for families to have more children. The regime insists this traditional family model has disappeared in the West, leading to a proliferation of vices, crime and anxiety — Tehran’s position has little time for women’s rights and preferences.
