Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi was born c. 1858, to the family of Mohammad Baqer Khan Astarabadi, one of the notable men of Astarabad (the present-day Gorgan), and Khadijeh Khanom (خديجه خانم), known as[3] Mollah Bāji (ملاباجی), one of the companions of Shokuh ol-Saltaneh (شکوه السلطنه), wife to Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar.

[6] Hossein Ali Mallah, a Persian musicologist, painter, and author was the maternal grandson of Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi.

Her articles appeared in such newspapers as Tamaddon (تمدن – Civilization), Habl al-Matin (حبل المتين – Firm Rope) and Majles (مجلس – Parliament).

Bibi Khatoon is also known for her book Ma'ayeb al-Rejal (معايب الرجال – Failings of Men),[8] which was a critical response to the pamphlet Ta'deeb al-Nesvan (تاديب النسوان – Edification of Women)[9] by an anonymous author.

Ma'ayeb al-Rejal was published in 1895, eleven years before the inauguration of Iran's system of constitutional monarchy in 1906 by the decree of Mozaffar al-Din Shah Qajar.

For the opening of this school five female teachers [معلمه] have been appointed, each responsible for one subject, such as Nokhost-nameh[12] [نخست نامه], Writing/Calligraphy [مشق قلم], History of Iran [تاریخ ایران], Reading [قرائت], Cookery book [کتاب طباخی], Law [قانون], Religion [مذهب], Geography [جغرافیا], Science of Arithmetic [علم حساب].

[15] The subjects taught at this school consisted of, in alphabetic order, Arabic language, Arithmetic, Cookery, Geography, History, Law, Music, Persian literature, and Religion, to name but some.

It is relevant to point out that in 1936, almost thirty years after the establishment of The School for Girls, 12 women were for the first time admitted to University of Tehran, who entered all faculties.

A short summary of the main recommendations in this book, aimed at the "edification" of women, is as follows:[21] The Vices of Men (Ma'ayib al-Rijal) (1887), a pungent satire, is in fact an answer to an earlier work entitled The Education of Women (Ta'dib al-Niswan (translated into English by E. Powys Mathers in his Eastern Love, vol.

These two works were published by Hasan Javadi as Two Qajar Essays on Men and Women: Ta'dib al-Nivan and Ma'ayib al-Rijal in Washington in 1992.