Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi


Mehrangiz Dowlatshahi was an Iranian social activist and politician, who held significant positions, including ambassador of Iran to Denmark during the Pahlavi era. She also served as an MP for three terms.

Early life and education

Dowlatshahi was born in Isfahan on 13 December 1919. However, her family were major land owners based in Kermanshah. She was a daughter of Mohammad Ali Mirza "Meshkout Al Dowleh", majlis member and land owner. She was a member of the Qajar dynasty. Her mother was Akhtar ol-Mulk, daughter of Hidayat Quli Khan. Mehrangiz was the cousin of Esmat Dowlatshahi, fourth wife of Reza Shah.
Mehrangiz studied in Germany and held a bachelor's degree from Berlin University. She received a PhD in social and political sciences from Heidelberg University.

Career

Dowlatshahi worked at the social services organization and at the organization for support of prisoners. She established Rah-e No society, which later became part of the International Women's Syndicate. The society offered training to women and advocated equal rights for them. She also launched adult literacy programs in southern Tehran. In 1951, she and woman activist Safeyeh Firouz met Mohammad Reza Shah to discuss the electoral rights of women in Iran. She was the director of the advisory committee on International Affairs of the Women's Organization of Iran. In 1973, she was appointed president of the International Council of Women and her term ended in 1976.
She served as the member of the Majlis from 1963 to 1975, being the first woman in this post. She represented Kermanshah at the Majlis for three terms. She significantly contributed to the “family protection law” in 1967 and to its expansion in 1974. She also served as the first minister of women affairs. She was also the first woman ambassador of Imperial Iran to Denmark. She was appointed to the post in 1975.

Later years and death

Dowlatshahi was the Iranian ambassador in Denmark when the 1979 revolution occurred. She left the country and settled in Paris. In 2002, she published a book entitled Society, Government, and Iran’s Women’s Movement. She died in Paris in October 2008.

Awards and honors

In 1997, Dowlatshahi was named as the woman of the year by the Iranian Women's Studies Foundation in the United States.