Simin Behbahani, whose name at birth was Simin Khalili () (سيمين خليلی), was the daughter of Abbās Khalili (عباس خلیلی), poet, writer and editor of the "Eghdām" (Action) newspaper, and Fakhr-e Ozmā Arghun (فخرعظمی ارغون), poet and teacher of the French language. Abbās Khalili (1893–1972) wrote poetry in both Persian and Arabic and translated some 1100 verses of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh into Arabic. Fakhr-e Ozmā Arghun (1898–1966) was one of the progressive women of her time and a member of "Kānun-e Nesvān-e Vatan'khāh" (Association of Patriotic Women) between 1925 and 1929. When being trained as a midwife, she got accused of writing an article against the school and criticizing it. Due to this false accusation, she was dismissed from the school and that was when she became a member of the communist Tudeh (Masses) Party. In addition to her membership of "Hezb-e Democrāt" (Democratic Party) and "Kānun-e Zanān" (Women's Association), she was for a time (1932) Editor of the "Āyandeh-ye Iran" (Future of Iran) newspaper. She taught French at the secondary schools "Nāmus", "Dār ol-Mo'allemāt" and "No'bāvegān" in Tehran.