A Sociologist: The Government Includes 'Female School Managers' in Women's Participation Statistics

A sociologist in Iran has reported a contradiction in the statistics announced by the Islamic Republic government regarding the level of women's participation in the country's management. The percentage announced by the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs states that currently '25 percent' of the country's managers are women, but this office has not provided a 'classification of female deputy levels.' According to Katayoun Masri, a sociologist and former editor of the Jam-e Jam newspaper, during a Clubhouse session on International Women's Day, she stated that based on her estimates on social media (as access to transparent statistical resources is difficult), only 6 percent of parliament representatives, 3 percent of senior and middle managers, 1.5 percent of members of city and village councils across the country, and 12 percent of members of metropolitan councils are women. Meanwhile, on the same day, a UN fact-finding mission reported that 'institutionalized discrimination against women and girls' in Iran constitutes 'a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity in the context of recent protests.' This mission, commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council to prepare this report on Iran, stated in its first official findings: 'The violent suppression of peaceful protests and widespread discrimination against women and girls has led to serious human rights violations by the Islamic Republic of Iran, many of which constitute crimes against humanity.' Katayoun Masri also mentioned in the virtual meeting 'The Share of Iranian Women in Management Positions: From Yesterday to Tomorrow' that the '25 percent' mentioned by the Vice Presidency for Women seems to include 'female school managers.' She further noted that 'the work environment in Iran is heavily gender-biased' and that the role of women in private institutions and companies has been 'neglected,' reminding that in large private sector organizations and holdings, 'the position of women does not go beyond being a passive board member.' The website Tejarat News reported in April, citing data released by the Statistical Center of Iran, that 'women have suffered more than men from the unstable labor market. The unemployment rate for women aged 18 to 35 increased from '26.5 percent' in the winter of 2021 to '27.7 percent' in the winter of last year [2022]. Accordingly, women's employment share in agriculture has also 'decreased more than men's.' Their share in agriculture fell from '13.6 percent' in the winter of 2021 to '10.4 percent' in the winter of 2022. Another important point regarding women's employment and unemployment is their 'incomplete employment share' last year, which rose from '4.2 percent' in the winter of 2021 to '3.8 percent.' Meanwhile, the virtual space, which had provided opportunities for income generation, faced 'severe restrictions and widespread filtering' imposed by government and security agencies last year. Many individuals, including women, had earned income from this platform, but 'now they have either completely lost their online jobs or their income has decreased.'