Women who were activists, religious women and women dissatisfied with the regime were able to unite under the anti-Shah umbrella. However it’s important to note that “women were not united in their opinions of the revolution and its outcome as much as they were not united in their reasons for joining the revolution”. Despite this mobilization and high participation rate of women, they were still kept out of leadership positions which were exclusive to men; women are thought to be part of the rank and file rather than the elite strata of the revolution.