غیرت

Gheyrat is most strongly enforced in southern Iran (Khuzestan, Fars), among more traditional Tehran families, and in rural areas across the country. It carries lighter, more ironic weight in cosmopolitan Tehran upper-class settings, especially among educated women who openly critique the gendered double standard it sets. In Azerbaijani-speaking northwestern Iran, the equivalent concept (qeyrat in Azeri) is tied closely to community reputation and is often invoked in older generations more than younger. Diaspora communities tend to soften gheyrat language in mixed company while still feeling its pull in family contexts.