Family / marriage

Civil Code art. 1105 – Husband is the “head of the family.”

Civil Code art. 1117 – Husband may prevent his wife from work he claims is against family interests or his (or her) dignity.

Civil Code art. 1041 – Child marriage permitted with guardian + court permission; legal minimums are below 18 (girls can be married younger with judicial consent).

Civil Code art. 1059 – A Muslim woman may not marry a non-Muslim man.

Civil Code arts. 1129, 1130, 1133 (and related) – Men hold a unilateral right to divorce (talaq); women’s ability to initiate divorce is restricted to specified grounds or pre-agreed contract stipulations.

Custody/guardianship (e.g., arts. 1168–1179) – “Custody” rules can favor fathers after a certain age; guardianship (wilāya) remains with father/paternal grandfather by default.

Inheritance (Book 3, e.g., arts. ~907–949) – Women generally inherit half the share of a similarly-situated male heir.

Temporary marriage (sigheh/mut'ah) & polygyny – Legally recognized; men may have multiple wives under certain conditions, creating unequal marital power.

Movement / travel / nationality

Passport Law (e.g., art. 18) – Married women require husband’s permission to obtain a passport/leave the country; husbands can file exit bans.

Nationality (2019 reform) – Iranian mothers can transmit nationality to children, but via conditional procedures; practical hurdles remain compared to paternal transmission.

Dress codes / public morality (Penal)

Islamic Penal Code art. 638 – Appearance in public without “Islamic hijab” is punishable (short jail term and/or fine).

Islamic Penal Code art. 639 – Criminalizes promoting/organizing places for “immoral” acts; used to target women’s rights activism and venues.

Sexual & bodily autonomy

Rape framed within zina categories – The code treats rape through sexual-offence frameworks derived from zina rather than a comprehensive sexual-violence statute; evidentiary thresholds are high and gender-unequal.

Same-sex relations (e.g., lavāt / musāqeh) – Criminalized with severe penalties (including flogging; certain categories can carry harsher sentences).

Work & public life

Labor & occupational rules – Women can be barred from “arduous/dangerous” work; combined with Civil Code 1117, this restricts sectors and gives husbands leverage over employment.

Testimony / evidence (various codes & practice) – In several contexts (especially financial matters), women’s testimony is weighed as half that of a man’s (or requires two women to one man), though application varies by case type.

Reproductive control

Population/Family policies (post-2021) – Tightened access to abortion, contraception, and sterilization; increased surveillance/penalties.