Rouzbeh Mircharkhchian (2010 - 2011)
Iran
Born in Rasht, Iran, close to the Caspian Sea, Rouzbeh is a petrochemical engineer, a feminist and an ardent supporter of women’s rights and democratic development. As a social activist, he works to combat gender discrimination and stereotypes in Iranian society as well as to reinforce the cultural, social and civil bases of democracy in his country.
Rouzbeh holds a BSc in petrochemical engineering from Isfahan University of Technology, one of the most prestigious engineering schools in Iran. While a student there, he founded the group ``Women, Men, and equal opportunities``.
Rouzbeh’s activities are a study in contrasts. As a drilling engineer and mud logging unit supervisor in oil and gas drilling fields in the Persian Gulf, he monitors drilling operations and parameters. As a feminist and social activist, he fights against gender discrimination and stereotypes in his society.
As a university student, Rouzbeh took a leading role in founding and managing “Women, Men and Equal Opportunities” - a group whose aim is to promote gender equality by influencing the thinking and behavior within the university community. Since then, he has worked to advance the cause of gender equality in the broader community by collaborating with different feminists groups, mainly Meydaan-e-Zanaan (“Women’s Field”). In Meydaan, as a member of the coordinating group, he led the “open stadiums to women audiences” campaign and supervised the production of a documentary film about a girl who enters a football stadium in men’s clothes. He also wrote several articles and notes on the Meydaan website regarding these issues.
Rouzbeh’s Sauvé Scholar project “Preparing for a culture of democracy” focuses on identifying the civil society bases of democratic governance - the primary requirements for a society to act in democratic ways, the lifestyle through which people engage their democratic system, and the cultural habits that sustain a democratic society.
Sports and physical activities have always played an important role in his life. He has won numerous ping pong championships, and placed third in the 2004 Sports Olympiad for university students in Iran.
Links to some of Rouzbeh’s notes and articles (in Persian) about the gender equality movement in Iran:
“Men and Feminism”, Meydaan-e-Zanan website, December 2008
“Why the new family bill is not even in favor of men”, Etemaad-e-Melli newspaper, issue 730, Sept 3. 2008, page 7
“Will the door be open?”, Meydaan-e-Zanan website, April 2007
“Restless Men”, Meydaan-e-Zanan website, January 2007
Mother Tongue
Persian, English
Country of origin
Iran
Country of Residence
Iran
Profession
petrochemical engineer, rights and democratic development advocate
