57% of This Year's University Entrance Exam Passers Are Girls

Girls accounted for 57% of those accepted into Iranian universities in 1395 (2016); both the number of girls registering for the national entrance exam and the number of those accepted in this exam are noticeably higher than boys. According to statistics from Iran's Educational Assessment Organization, 59% of the candidates for the national university entrance exam (Konkur) were girls. The final acceptance statistics also show that 57% of the accepted candidates are again girls. Among these, nearly twice as many girls were accepted in the experimental sciences exam, three times in the arts exam, and less than twice the number of boys in the humanities. In the mathematics and technical group, less than twice as many girls were accepted compared to boys. It should also be noted that candidates could participate in both their main field and in arts and foreign language fields. In previous years, only in the mathematics field were the numbers of registrations and acceptances for boys higher than for girls. In past years, similar percentages of registrants and acceptances have been observable. For example, in 1391 (2012), 60% of the accepted candidates were girls. In 1393 (2014), a similar percentage of girls and boys participated in the exam. A sample statistic from 1391 for comparison with the current year also shows that the number of male registrants in mathematics was significantly higher than that of girls, while in all other groups - experimental, humanities, arts, and languages - girls participated approximately two to three times more. On the other hand, the number of registrants for the national entrance exam has been declining over the years. In 1391, just over one million people registered for the national exam, with 640,000 girls and 426,000 boys. In 1393, thirty thousand fewer prepared for the exam, and this year, with a noticeable drop, the number of registrants reaches 860,000; nearly 510,000 girls and 350,000 boys. The increase in the number of girls entering Iranian universities does not correspond with the acceptance of women in the job market or employment opportunities in the country. The Iranian Vice President for Women's Affairs, in Mehr 1394 (October 2015), described the 'gender imbalance' and 'male preference' as characteristics of the job market in Iran. Shahindokht Molaverdi stated that women’s economic workforce in Iran is considered 'marginal'. In addition to the 'male preference' described in the job market, the enactment of laws to prevent women's employment in certain places and businesses or the lack of equal government opportunities for both men and women also contributes to women's unemployment. Last year, statistics showed that a total of 51.02% of university graduates in Iran were 'inactive'. The unemployment rate for female graduates in the country is over 65%.