Women Of Today: In A Position To Change The World w/ Pegah Moshir Pour

The interview I just couldn't wait to publish.

It is also a perfect ending to the 2023 Women Of Today Interviews season before we embark on a new journey in the year ahead.

Let me start by telling you more about the wonderful and brave Pegah Moshir Pour . When Pegah was 9 she moved from Tehran to southern Italy. Ever since then, she felt it was truly her path to understand different cultures, worlds, and ways of being and work towards creating a more inclusive world.

A series of events in Pegah's life prompted her to follow her passion for human rights and fiercely fight for those whose rights are not heard, which she dived into so openly in our conversation.

She then beautifully added, "In fact, today, I feel free to be Iranian, to be Italian, to be both, to be neither, and to be a global citizen. And that's what I carry forward professionally because the world will always be more multicultural."

What I admire most about Pegah is her determination and passion to make the world a better place. She is a brave woman who has turned her challenges into strengths, and for that, her story is such a powerful reminder that even in the darkest days, we can find our light.

She indeed found hers and has been using it ever since to put a spotlight on things that really matter.

Meet, Pegah Moshir Pour ?- Digital Ethics and Human Rights Activist | TedX speaker

Isabelle: What do you believe has influenced your career path the most? How did you end up doing what you do today?

Pegah: Well, I think what influenced me the most was my move to Italy. When I was nine years old, I moved from Tehran to a city in southern Italy, and that was probably the moment when I realized that there were indeed different kinds of cities, worlds, people, and ways of speaking, dressing, or eating. And so, I understood that I had to embrace these new things within myself and try to understand them. So, definitely, my professional path today is multicultural, open, and inclusive precisely because I experienced it firsthand.?

Then, my background gave me a sense of direction. At first, we, third-culture kids, might tend to forget our original culture, perhaps due to integration difficulties, feeling embarrassed because maybe no one understands it. However, the moment I realized that my origin was my foundation, from which I couldn't escape and erase, I said, "Okay, now let's understand." So, my origin became my goal, and I understood that I could never fully express myself without it.?

In fact, today, I feel free to be Iranian, to be Italian, to be both, to be neither, and to be a global citizen. And that's what I carry forward professionally because the world will always be more multicultural, and this is something that even Italy, which is now dealing with new citizens, should have gentle inclusion policies to improve its present.

At the age of 15, I realized I wasn't considered Italian because I didn't have Italian citizenship, and I was denied participation in a school trip. I could speak the dialect, I could speak Italian perfectly, I know pineapple doesn't go on pizza. Italian culture was already ingrained in me. However, in terms of politics, justice, and the legal aspect, I wasn't Italian because, unfortunately, the bureaucratic processes in Italy to obtain citizenship are very long, very convoluted, and very difficult.?

So, from there, I understood that even though I felt Italian, I wasn't yet Italian. Therefore, I began to share my life and my experiences to make others understand that my life was the same as that of my classmates, who might have had citizenship because they were born and raised in Italy with Italian parents. From there, my perspective changed completely. At first, I was very angry because it's not fair to not experience a moment with the class, with the community, to feel pushed out, to feel marginalized, to feel wrong, to feel not welcomed or accepted.

But at the same time, thanks to my parents who encouraged me to see the right side to carry forward, that is, to tell my story, not to hide, to be kind, to be polite, and to tell the truth. When you tell the truth, people understand, and that's when there can be changes in people, less fear, fewer prejudices, fewer biases. However, it's a fairly long process, and like any change, it will find its moment.

"There is this idea that a woman must be in this glass bubble and protected. No, we protect ourselves by testing ourselves, by leaving the house, by speaking up, by competing, and by asking for a salary increase or asking for a divorce. Encouraging women to have financial independence, manage money, and understand what it means to have the power to buy something is the most important power because, in a consumer society, we need to have more and more autonomy.?"

I: What are some of your personal values that influence your life and the way you approach business??

P: My mother and father are the two most important examples for me. I have been incredibly lucky to have such parents, because coming from a country like Iran and having the opportunity to dream of a future of freedom and peace made me fortunate, but on the other hand, every day I had in front of me two people who had given up on themselves for their children. So, I understood the meaning of sacrifice and the sense of gratitude.

My parents used to tell me, "One day, you'll understand." And it's true, I understand it today. I understand that being free to dress as you wish is important, too; not having people's eyes on you and not being judged by people is important. So, the values are truth, kindness, and, above all, not expecting. In fact, since I was at university, I started working. My mother had emphasized my financial independence because she said I was a woman, and therefore, all the more, I had to be independent.

So, I took up small jobs. Often, I wasn't paid or wasn't paid well, I was treated somewhat unprofessionally, but that not expecting led me to work, to understand, to think, to internalize experiences. And these experiences are manifesting today, so another value is definitely to allow some time to digest things and then put them into practice.?

But surely, justice, truth, and kindness are my pillars.

"We all need to work together to create a society that is more comfortable to live in. Men need to stand at the forefront with women."

I: You are also a human rights activist. What motivates you to bring much-needed changes into our society??

P: Because I think that if there was democracy in Iran, what the Iranians want, the possibility to choose their own future and to be protagonists in the decisions that take place, is important because the entire international geopolitics would change. Probably, there wouldn't be unpleasant wars like the ones happening today that have been going on for seventy years or financing for forces that destroy the world instead of leading to actual peace and collaboration, which is what it should be with countries.?

I believe that Iranian women, but also Iranian men, have incredible courage. My peers go in and out of prison. They fearlessly come out and continue to go around, disobeying by not wearing the veil, for example, or shouting slogans like "death to the dictator." Then they go back to prison, and then they come out and do it all over again. My mother was the first to experience the transition from the Pahlavi monarchy to the Islamic Republic of Iran. She was expelled from all universities because she disobeyed. She was the last in her high school, for instance, to start wearing the hijab, which was mandatory. She had always been a fighter, and perhaps she passed it on to me genetically.

Even my grandfather, my father's father, who was Kurdish-Iranian, left Kurdistan to go to Tehran because the first university in the 20th century opened in Teheran and wanted his children to study at the university. Then, he also opened a newspaper called "Black Gold," talking about workers' rights; perhaps genetically and from both sides, I received something.

I: What do you believe is the most significant barrier to female empowerment? What can we do more as a society to support women??

P: I think the biggest problem, the major obstacle, is women themselves who don't believe in themselves and don't give themselves the chance to make mistakes, to try again, or to change their path. And this is because, from a young age, we're told not to go out alone, not to do, not to say, not to speak. Perhaps it initially came from a perspective of caring for women because they were seen as more fragile. But society has changed, and therefore, the ways of educating must also change. We can stop giving dolls only to little girls.?

Maybe, instead, we can give dolls to little boys so they understand the sense of care from a young age, and perhaps give toy cars to the girls to teach them action.

It's this idea that a woman must be in this glass bubble and protected. No, we protect ourselves by testing ourselves, by leaving the house, by speaking up, by competing, and by asking for a salary increase or asking for a divorce—these are all things that women can do, but they also need to be protected, perhaps legally. Probably yes, because a lot is missing. Encouraging women to have financial independence, manage money, and understand what it means to have the power to buy something is the most important power because, in a consumer society, we need to have more and more autonomy.?

In a society that still tends to want women to be homemakers or mothers, they aren't good examples for their children because male children need to understand that they must collaborate with women to run the household and raise the children. These are examples that young boys see.

Maybe we can also free boys from the stereotype "you are a male and you must provide for the family," so all this burden that is given to boys from a young age, thinking they then have power over women's bodies and minds because they can command them. It's a whole structure that should change, though.

I: What is it that you do to empower yourself and the women around you??

P: When my younger sister was born, I said to myself, "I hope she doesn't face the same problems at school, the same issues in the working world as I did." So, I gave myself the mission to make her find a more welcoming society, even though she has a "strange" name and surname. Then, she found more outlets and a stronger voice with the "woman, life, freedom" revolution that began in September 2022. These are three simple, common words, yet they are so powerful at the same time.?

It's an incredible philosophy—it's about women who give life but also generate freedom of thought and freedom to be. These three words are so interconnected that they cannot be separated. So, I have taken on the mission to spread this message as far as possible to as many people as possible, both women and men. For example, if the revolution in Iran succeeds, it's because women and men stand together. Hence, it's important for men to stand alongside women to fight for a just, equal society. We are half of the population; numerically, we are equal, but we don't have the same rights.

Therefore, we all need to work together to create a society that is more comfortable to live in. Men need to stand at the forefront with women.

I: What have been some obstacles in your career that you successfully overcame??

P: Certainly, the first obstacle is fear. The fear of not articulating things correctly, being attacked, or being threatened, because when you expose yourself, you must consider everything. However, the more fear grows, the more courage grows. So, I trained my fear. I trained my courage to reach a point where I don't have so much fear today because many people can relate to their rights being denied, even in Italy and Europe. It's a global issue, a global matter of changing the cultural mentality we all need to work on together.

So, if we have fear, we also have the courage to move forward. This courage is helping us immensely, and with the digital realm, we share even more. From the "Me Too" movement to the "Non una di meno" (Not One Woman Less) movement, "Woman, life, freedom," they are all incredible, powerful feminist movements that inspire and will continue to inspire more women and men in the coming years, for sure.

I: Can you reveal what you would say to a younger version of yourself if you had the chance to meet her again?

P: Pegah, look, it will be tough; you'll cry a lot, and you'll feel very lonely, but you're on the right path. Stay on the path of truth.

Well, certainly from a work perspective, I would say, "Pegah, write an email, put down on paper what you need to do, what you need to be paid for, put it down in writing." Then, learn to say no; don't think that always saying yes is a good thing. Sometimes, it's necessary to say no. Above all, another thing I would tell myself is to stay away from negative people, people who don't encourage, who don't add to your life but subtract from it. Stay away from those people because they will hurt you.

I: A piece of advice for all the women out there wanting to achieve their goals?

P: I would definitely say to take a moment with themselves and understand what is going well in their lives and what isn't. For what isn't, maybe find short and long-term solutions. To get out of a very difficult moment of violence, for example, I started working; I signed my first work contract, a summer one because I was still a university student. So, I'm very glad that moment had a bit of clarity, and I found a different way to see and experience the present that fueled my desire to create and to think of beautiful things.

But what I would also say is that if one doesn't have the strength to do it alone, to speak up, to find someone to talk to, because there are people who speak, there are many associations, truly many, just send a message, and you're not alone. We can face this world collectively, so it's a beautiful moment for humanity.

Let's still see the positive side because even all the bad news we see is actually okay because today we finally know what's happening in the world, so it's good to know, and it's good to talk and not hide anymore.