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Iran
Social Class in Contemporary Iran
Prior to the Revolution of 1979, political connections were considered
a key measure of one's social status. In other words, the amount
of access that one was perceived to have to the highest levels
of decision making was the major determinant of prestige. Wealth
was important, but acquiring and maintaining wealth tended to
be closely intertwined with access to political power. Consequently,
members of the political elite were generally involved in numerous
complex interrelationships. For example, some members of the Senate
(the upper house of the parliament, or Majlis--see Glossary),
a legislative body that included many members of the political
elite appointed by the shah, were also on the boards of several
industrial and commercial enterprises and were owners of extensive
agricultural lands. Since being part of an elite family was an
important prerequisite for entry into the political elite, marital
relationships tended to bind together important elite families.
The other classes attempted to emulate the political elite in
seeking connections to those with political power, whether on
the provincial, town, or village level. By the 1970s, however,
the nonelite of all classes perceived education as important for
improving social status. Education was seen as providing entry
into high-status jobs that in turn would open up opportunities
for making connections with those who had political power. Despite
a great expansion in educational opportunities, the demand far
outstripped the ability or willingness of the elite to provide
education; this in turn became a source of resentment. By the
late 1970s, the nonelite groups, especially the middle classes,
rather than admiring the elite and desiring to emulate them, tended
to resent the elite for blocking opportunities to compete on an
equal basis.
As a result of the lack of field research in Iran after the Revolution,
it was difficult in the late 1980s to determine whether the traditional
bases for ascribing class status had changed. It is probable that
access to political power continued to be important for ascribing
status even though the composition of the political elite had
changed. It also appears that education continued to be an important
basis for determining status.
Data as of December 1987
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