A Gender-Oriented Reinterpretation of the “Third Model of Woman” in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei

Tajik, Zeinab

doi:10.22034/irsj.2025.534668.1154

A Gender-Oriented Reinterpretation of the “Third Model of Woman” in the Thought of Ayatollah Khamenei

Document Type : Original Article

Author

zeinab tajik

Assistant Professor, Gender Theoretical Foundations Department, Women and Family Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/irsj.2025.534668.1154

Abstract

Objective:
The objective of this article is to analyze and explicate the “Third Model of Woman” of the Islamic Revolution as a distinct model derived from the intellectual framework of Ayatollah Khamenei, examining the place of feminine gender within women’s individual identity, familial roles, and social position.
Methodology:
This research was conducted using a directed thematic analysis approach, based on a systematic examination of Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements. Data were extracted from his official texts and speeches and analyzed across three domains: individual identity, family, and society.
Findings:
The findings indicate that in the Third Model, feminine gender is not confined merely to the material body; rather, the human soul itself possesses a gender-oriented directionality—an idea consistent with the principles of Transcendent Theosophy (al-hikmah al-muta‘aliyah) and Islamic theology. Within Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual framework, feminine gender is regarded as a divine and foundational capacity that is fully evident and operative in women’s individual identity, familial roles, and social context.
Conclusion:
According to Ayatollah Khamenei’s intellectual system, in the Third Model, woman is neither devoid of gender-specific characteristics nor are these characteristics perceived as obstacles to her growth and dignity. Rather, feminine gender shapes woman’s identity across the three spheres of the individual, family, and society and is recognized as the primary context for the manifestation of her distinctive responsibilities and capacities.

Keywords

Gender

Woman of the Islamic Revolution

Third Model

Ayatollah Khamenei

Role of women

Islamic anthropology