Iran unveils plan for women's car
By Jon Leyne
BBC News, Tehran
Iranian women can drive cars but are not allowed to ride motorbikes
Iran has announced plans for a new car designed specially for women.
Its features will include automatic transmission, parking and navigation aids
and a jack for changing tyres without getting grease on your chador.
Iran's biggest car producer, Iran Khodro, says it will come in a range of
feminine colours and interior designs.
Other features are proposed to make it easier for women when they are doing the
family shopping or taking their children to school.
If that suggests a degree of sexist stereotyping in Iranian society, it is,
just possibly, true.
Despite the fact that Iranian women now make up around 60% of university
students, Iranian men have yet to absorb fully the message of equality.
A recent study by an academic from Allameh Tabatabaii University in Tehran
found that working Iranian women believed that the domestic chores should be
shared more equally.
However, according to the report "their husbands think and act traditionally".
Indeed, the idea of married men cooking for their wives is viewed in Iran as
highly eccentric.
As a result, the report concludes, Iran's new generation of working women "are
obliged to play the role of a superwoman to resolve their contradictions in
handling all tasks."
It says such women "have become increasingly frustrated with their life".
'Modesty bikes'
Officially, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists that Iranian women are the
most equal in the world.
And the authorities proudly boast of the achievements and opportunities open to
Iranian women.
But the official Iranian concept of equality is very different from that
understood by Western feminists.
Among the more eccentric policies here, Iran recently announced plans for a
special bicycle for women.
None of the machines has been spotted yet, but apparently the idea is to
provide special covers, to help preserve female modesty as they pedal.
Women, however, are still banned from riding motorcycles.
However, they can often be seen perched on the back, sometimes with one or two
small children in their arms, as their husband weaves through the Iranian
traffic.
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Asalam o Alaikum,
You Are Receiving This Message, Because You Are A Member Of FOCUS ON ISLAM, A
Google Group [..:: The Best Group For Nice Islamic Mails ::..]
\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/
You can Post Your Comments and Suggestions to Me [Moderator of this Group]
on this email address: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.google.com/group/focusonislam/
To post messages/mails to this group, send email to
[email protected]
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please forward our Mails to Your friends, and convence them to join our Group.
Wanna subscribe to this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<<<<>>>>\/<>\/
***********************************************************
The Official Website of Group is LAUNCHED,
http://www.geocities.co
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
<<inline: 999999.gif>>
<<inline: _45087450_woman_afp226body.jpg>>
