The act was annulled in 1979 after the Islamic Revolution when Sharia law was re-introduced, but it stands out for having been ahead of its time, particularly in a Muslim-majority country.
They were dissolved after the revolution, but Special Civil Courts were re-established in 1979 to adjudicate over matters relating to family law, succession and awqaf.
Similarly, some legislative changes have moved family matters in a more progressive direction in the areas of minimum age of marriage, child custody and the grounds on which women can request divorce.
In the 1930s, there were twelve Shi'ite laws of marriage, divorce, legitimacy, and custody of children that were incorporated in the civil code (Qānūn-e madanī).
[2] In 1962, Iranian law regarded women as being in the same class as minors, criminals, and the insane: they could neither vote nor stand for public office, were not allowed the guardianship of their own children, could not work or marry without permission of their male "benefactors", could be divorced at any moment (with or without their prior knowledge, through the utterance of a simple sentence by the husband), and could be faced with the presence of a second, third, or fourth wife in their home at any moment-with no legal, financial, or emotional recourse.
[6] However, when some of the media presented an exaggerated take on the progressive bill, Manouchehrian had to leave Tehran until the publicity died down, and possible threats to her safety subsided.
In September 1979, a modified version of the Family Protection Law's divorce provisions were introduced and adopted on the 23rd of that month.
It allowed divorce only after a judge attempted to reconcile a marriage between both parties, then the court would schedule to hear the case and make a decision.
However, after the father's death, or in case of his inability to carry out his duties, the courts could appoint either the mother or the paternal grandfather as the child's guardian.
As stated by some jurists and also by the Iranian Civil Law, child custody (boy or girl) until the age seven is given to the mother and afterward to the father.