Eastern Kurdistan

The Role and Participation of Women in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) (1945-1990).

Kwestan Ahmad Khdir, Hoshmand Ali Mahmood

This research focuses on the role and participation of women in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) (1945-1990), which is a period of enormous significance in the history of women's struggle in Eastern Kurdistan in general and within the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in particular. During this historical phase, censorship and patriarchal traditions deprived women in Iranian society and Eastern Kurdistan specifically of their rights and freedoms. During the final stages of the Second World War, a number of international and domestic factors led to significant changes in Iranian society, politics, and social life, under the leadership of the newly empowered Mohammad Reza Shah. Among these changes was the establishment of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan-Iran and subsequently the Kurdistan Republic (also known as the Republic of Mahabad), where women from Eastern Kurdistan entered the scene for the first time within their own political and organizational frameworks, playing an influential and active role. The primary research question is: To what extent did women in the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan participate in political, national, and armed struggle in Eastern Kurdistan? What were the internal and external obstacles and factors that impeded these steps? What role did they play in raising awareness in society? This study further emphasizes the roles and responsibilities of women within the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in political, military, organizational, health, educational, and training domains.