Prostitution of Women in Tehran from the Qajar Era (Naseri Period) to the End of the Pahlavi Era

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student in the History of Iran after Islam, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Literature, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
This article focuses on the prostitution of women in Tehran and seeks to answer the following two questions: What was the situation of prostitutes during the period from the Qajar era to the end of the Pahlavi era?; and how did the government deal with them during this time? The study examines the quantitative and qualitative changes in the status of prostitutes and the government's approach to the issue of prostitution during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods using a comparative method. The findings indicate that prostitutes in these two periods shared similar conditions in terms of social background, age, and reasons for engaging in prostitution. However, with the modernization of society during the Pahlavi era, prostitution became primarily an urban, structured, and diverse phenomenon, with a lower quantitative prevalence. Governments’ policies toward this phenomenon were multifaceted and contradictory. Despite similarities in the financial and political exploitation of prostitutes and the imposition of criminal penalties, efforts were made during Reza Shah's reign to control and regulate the issue through the resettlement of prostitutes and the enforcement of health regulations. During Mohammad Reza Shah's era, the approach to prostitution gradually shifted from criminal to more social punishment, with measures taken to support prostitutes and reintegrate them into the society. Despite these efforts, governments were not successful in controlling or preventing this issue. Macro-structural factors and patriarchal attitudes in society played a significant role in the persistence of prostitution

Keywords


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Volume 16, Issue 61
Autumn 2024
Autumn 2024
Pages 85-126

  • Receive Date 22 September 2024
  • Revise Date 02 February 2025
  • Accept Date 09 February 2025
  • Publish Date 21 November 2024