Sattareh Farman Farmaian: a brief biography
Sattareh Farman Farmaian in recent years has traveled extensively to speak before professional and academic organizations about her autobiography, Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Republic (Crown Publishers Inc. and Doubleday, 1992) and her experience in advancing social welfare development programs and human rights issues, internationally.She has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences, universities, women's groups, youth organizations, special interest gatherings and bookstores in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, and in European nations. Her book has been translated into several European languages, was on the best seller's list in Germany and is used in many universities' departments of social work, women's studies and Middle Eastern history.
From 1980 to 1992, she worked for the County of Los Angeles Department of Social Services, Children's' Services. From 1958 to 1979, she founded and was Director of the Tehran School of Social Work. Also, she founded and was Executive Director of both the Community Welfare Centers of Iran and the Family Planning Association of Iran. During that same period, she served on the Faculty of Social Sciences and Research at Tehran University. From 1954 to 1958 she served as a United Nations Expert for the Middle East, stationed in Baghdad, Iraq.
Throughout her career, Ms. Farman Farmaian worked to advance the rights of women in Iran and the world. While on the Board of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), she was a member of the Task Force, "Forward Look Study" and of the Special IPPF Mission to China. She also served as advisor to the United Nations Advisory Group, "Integration, Social Work, Education and Family Planning in Developing Countries". She was a Board Member of the International Association of Schools of Social Work and served as an advisor to the South Korean government on the media's role in population and social development.
Ms. Farman Farmaian was a delegate to the Bucharest Population Conference (1974), the Tehran International Human Rights Conference (1975), and the Mexico International Conference for Women's Year (1976).
She was given the "Silver Achievement Award" by the Greater Los Angeles YWCA in 1993. In that same year, she was awarded "Special Commendations" by both the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles. In 1962, she was given the "Alumni Award of Merit" by the University of Southern California, from which she graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and a Master's in Social Work and received a credential in higher education. She also completed special courses in family and child welfare law from the University of Chicago where she had been an annual lecturer for the Community and Family Study Center's yearly workshop on Population, Communication, Education and Research.
In addition to her autobiography, her publications include:
- On the Other Side of The China Wall (1977) - a book published on the basis of her trip to China.
- Prostitution Problems in the City of Tehran (1969) - the results of a two year research project at the Tehran School of Social Work.
- Children and Teachers (1966) - a publication of the Tehran School of Social Work.
- Country Profile of Iranian Family Planning and Social Welfare (1965) - a publication of the United Nations.
- Children's Needs (1960) - a publication of the Tehran School of Social Work.
She also has written a variety of articles prepared for international meetings and which were published in many specialized publications in the field of social welfare and human development.
SYNOPSIS | PRAISE | REVIEWS | SCHEDULE | APPEARANCES | CONTACT | LETTERS | BIOGRAPHY | ORDER
| TO TOP | HOME