IRAN. Khuzestan. 2018. From the right: Mohtaram Khanom, 48 years old, has 2 daughters and 2 sons. Mohtaram Kahnoom was the first one in her family who started living in a city and stoped moving as a nomad. Now she has a grocery store in Lali city. She believes that nomadic life is getting easier these days as they are traveling with the cars and trucks. She is Sarah’s mother in law who is standing next to her. Sarah, 20 years old won’t move with her family for the first time as she got married and will stay in a house in Lali city. Her name was Zeynab, a religious name and now she insists everyone call her Sarah. Sarah is so happy that she is now living in a city even that saying goodbye to her parents is really hard for her. She believes that nomad women earn nothing even that they work really hard 24/7. They just have gold gifted to them by their fathers or husbands after their marriage. She has a diploma and never thought of going to the university afterwards. She doesn’t even want a kid. It is a very common thing in nomads society to get pregnant at least after one year of their marriage. She believes that she is still a child herself. She chose her husband because her father, Jan mohammad Najaf is a really open minded man among the Bakhtiari nomads. Khanoom Soltan Najafi, 61 years old is Sarah’s mother and jan Mohammad’s wife. “ It has been almost 50 years that because of the country laws men and women have equal rights. 200 years ago when a girl got married her father should give her a part of his land but now they just receive a few sheeps and perhaps the necessary stuffs to start a new life.”
Mohtaram khanoom says that “I would never give my inheritance away, I believe that women should stop being crazy. We have to fight for our rights.” It is very common in Nomadic society for women to give their inheritance away to their brothers and it considered a shame if they ask for it.

Their neighbour, 27 years old sitting with her 6 months old