Over family objections, Behnam determined to become a teacher, took a post at her alma mater, Jufel Hurst High School.[8][15] In 1947, Behnam took her grandmother on a lengthy trip traveling to Dubai and Bahrain,[16] where they received an invitation to reconnect with their father, who they had not seen for many years.[17] Behnam traveled to Iran and stayed three months[18] and upon her return to Karachi, was invited by her father to relocate to Teheran.[19] Moving with her son, she first worked on implementation of the Point Four Plan to improve health and education throughout the country.[20] In the early 1950s, she allowed her son to go and live with his father,[21] and soon thereafter, Behnam married a widower, Abdulla Pakravan, who had two children from a previous marriage, gave up her career, and moved to Bandar Abbas.[22]