ABSTRACT
This chapter helps to understand how and why women came to be the face of the Green Movement. Since the Green Movement was formed based on a greater campaign for democratic justice and civil rights, it is easy to understand why women were so motivated to get involved. Unknown by the Western world, there actually is a vibrant and growing number of civil society organizations in Iran. At the time of the Green Movement there were over 5,000 registered NGOs, 500 of which were female run and dealt specifically with women's issues. The use of social media and the women's movement was further established in 2008 with mobilization against the Family Protection Bill. The most important female figurehead of the Green Movement has been Dr. Zahra Rahnavard. Interestingly, as a professor of political science and an established artist, she possesses a more charismatic and outgoing personality than her husband, the 2009 candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.
