Gender and employment in Iran

Abstract

In 2001 women in Iran numbered 32.99 million out of a total population of 64.90, that is, over 50 per cent of the country's population. With increase in the age at marriage and in educational levels, women's workforce participation rate went from 9.1 per cent in 1996 to 14 per cent in 2004. Women's share of general managerial positions is 5.32 per cent, but that in middle managerial positions is only 1.4 per cent. Job opportunities have not grown fast enough, and urban women's unemployment doubled during the period 1996-2004 and was over 24.5 per cent (Sadeghi 2004). Managerial and political participation of women is negligible-a few years ago, the overall share of Congresswomen in the Islamic Republic of Iran was only 2 per cent (Nouri 1997).