From Morality Police to Playground Bullies
How Some Women Escape While Others Can't
Age 3, Azadeh triumphantly cartwheeled before guests in their Iranian home - showing off her skills! But her joy was instantly eclipsed by her parents’ disgust. As her skirt flipped down, they recoiled in horror. That’s Azadeh’s earliest memory - revulsion.
Years later, at a women’s rights conference in Sweden, Azadeh bounded up to me, introducing herself as an avid reader of my research. Instantly, we became pals, as Azadeh shared stories from western Iran, explaining why patriarchy persists her homeland and what enables the diaspora to achieve liberal freedoms. Again and again, we see the cardinal forces driving cultural evolution: power, punishment, and prestige.
