A Comparative Study of the Women Social Situation in The Sassanid and Qajar Era

The current research intended to compare the social situations of women in the Sassanid and Qajar eras. The research universe included women's motifs in the art works such as coins and paintings. The sample subsumed Sassanid and Qajar women clothing in the cultural data of these periods. The research was designed as historical descriptive and comparative study. Data was collected based on the library records, available documents and index cards note taking. The data was analyzed by qualitative procedure. The results revealed that women in both periods countered specific jurisprudential readings of the official religion of their era and in both periods were ready to accept major external changes. In the first case, Islam and in the second case, the wave of globalization and modernism entered the country and changed the position of women. Although women faced restrictions in the Sassanid and Qajar periods, they engaged in activism, social activity, and even influence over important governmental affairs under the guise of society. In the Sassanid period, this role was largely obvious and transparent; but in the Qajar period, in order to fulfill their desires, they had to fulfill their desires through men and the influence of their gender role.