Deep Gender Gap in Employment of University Students and Graduates

The Open Data Iran database is an innovation project aimed at collecting data related to Iran in one place and presenting it in easily accessible formats. Radio Farda, in collaboration with this institution, publishes a series of articles, the first of which was titled 'What Do Iranians Die From?' Two other articles discussed the causes of mortality in Tehran and other provinces of Iran. The fourth article is as follows. Introduction: In recent years, the number of women pursuing higher education at universities has significantly increased, and the population of female students and graduates has closely approached that of their male counterparts. The situation has evolved to the point where not only has the inequality between women and men in accessing university education diminished, but in some cases, it tilts in favor of women. It is expected that the significant growth in the number of educated women will lead to increased employment for this segment of women, eliminating the prevailing inequality in the labor market between female and male university graduates. However, official statistics show that contrary to expectations, this inequality has not decreased; rather, the situation has worsened. In the following study, based on the report 'Results of the Labor Force Survey of 1393' prepared by the Statistical Center of Iran, the employment situation of female students and university graduates is examined. Their conditions are also compared with those of men to clarify the extent of gender inequality in this demographic group in the labor market. Composition of the University Population: Iran's population grew significantly in the 1360s (1980s), doubling in 15 years, from 15.8 million in 1355 (1976) to 31.8 million in 1370 (1991). This high growth occurred during a period when Iran had experienced a revolution and a devastating eight-year war, but due to demographic policies after the revolution, the birth rate surged. The numerous births in the 1360s led to children attending school in the 1370s and reaching university age in the 1380s (2000s), gradually preparing to enter the labor market. During the 1380s and 1390s (2000s and 2010s), the presence of girls in various levels of higher education was appropriate and comparable to that of boys, with no significant disparity observed between female and male students and graduates. Chart 1 shows the breakdown of individuals with a university degree, including associate, bachelor's, master's, doctorate, and specialized doctorate degrees, at the end of 1393 (2014), or those studying in one of these higher education levels. As seen in Chart 1, the number of men with an associate degree or studying for this degree is about half a million more than women. This discrepancy is mainly due to the higher number and capacity of technical and vocational fields, which are more accommodating to men. However, the difference at the bachelor's level is very minimal. The gap increases at the master's and doctorate levels but is not substantial. Nevertheless, the gap between women and men at the specialized doctorate level is significant. Chart 2 shows which educational level female students or graduates have been employed in. As seen in Chart 2, the majority of women who are part of the student population or have graduated from university do not participate in higher levels than a bachelor's degree, with over 88% of this population holding a bachelor's or associate degree. The Relationship Between University Degree Type and Women's Employment: Although the majority of university-educated women have studied at the associate and bachelor's levels, this statistic does not imply that the inclination towards this level of higher education has provided women with better opportunities to find work. Chart 3 shows the percentage of women and men who have graduated or are studying and have become employed, broken down by educational level. Comparing the percentages of employed men and women as indicated in Chart 3 shows that less than 20% of female students or graduates with an associate degree are among the employed population, while this ratio for men exceeds 53%. This stark difference is also observed at the bachelor's level. As shown in Chart 1, the number of women and men with a bachelor's degree or studying at this level is nearly equal, but this equality in the population of employed women and men with a bachelor's degree or studying at this level turns into serious inequality; only 23% of women graduates or students at the bachelor's level are among the employed, while this ratio for men is over 51%. A gender gap also exists at the master's and doctorate levels, with the percentage of employed women with these degrees being 33%, while this ratio for men exceeds 64%. What is different is the high employment rate of women graduates or students with a specialized doctorate compared to women with or studying for other degrees. At the specialized doctorate level, the employment rate for women is 73%, which is high and exceeds that of men. This high ratio indicates that, in general, both women and men with a specialized doctorate or studying at this level find jobs more easily than those with other degrees. However, considering the small population of women in this educational level, which according to Chart 1 is about 36,000, it becomes clear that only a few women fall under these different conditions, and this occurrence is an exception rather than the rule, especially since it includes women engaged in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and university teaching. Lack of Participation of Educated Women in the Labor Market: Naturally, the goal of acquiring specialized skills and professional knowledge is to enhance the ability to participate in the labor market. However, contrary to this assumption, women with university education in Iran are surprisingly not being absorbed into the labor market. This reality becomes clear when comparing the population of active women who have attended university with the population of inactive women who have university education. Chart 4 shows the breakdown of students and graduates by gender, indicating how many are part of the active population and how many are inactive. It also shows how many are employed and unemployed among students and graduates. As seen in Chart 4, out of the population of 5,305,000 female students or university graduates, more than 3,476,000 are inactive. In other words, more than half of female students or university graduates do not want or cannot have a job or have essentially left the labor market, while about two-thirds of male students or graduates seek to participate in the labor market. Examining the employed population of students and university graduates also shows that the number of employed men is about 3,262,000, while the number of employed women is 1,282,000. In other words, although the population of male students and university graduates is only about 780,000 more than that of women, the number of employed men in this demographic group is 1,979,000 more than that of women in this group. In other words, male students and graduates are employed at a rate 2.5 times that of women with similar qualifications. The Relationship Between Educational Degree and Economic Activity: The low economic participation of women has another aspect that can be clarified by examining the number of active women by educational degree or level. Chart 5 shows the active population of men and women broken down by university degree. As detailed in Chart 5, in all educational levels, the number of active men exceeds that of active women, clearly indicating the inequality of conditions to the detriment of women. In other words, at all educational levels and for all university degrees, men enter the active economic population at a much higher ratio than women. Conclusion: As shown from various angles, the increased presence of women in various university levels and the growth in the number of female university graduates does not correspond to the number of employed women. Overall, the employment of university graduates in Iran is not at a desirable level, but the gap between women and men is very large, and the employment situation for female graduates is significantly worse than for men. A situation has arisen where either women are not inclined to participate in the labor market at all, or their presence is not welcomed, and very few women with university education are considered economically active. The fact that women are added to the educated population at a cost but this does not reflect in the labor market is not only considered a waste of resources economically but also represents gender discrimination socially. This situation is the result of policies and management methods at the macro level of decision-making that have deprived the Iranian economy of utilizing a large population of educated individuals and kept a significant portion of the specialized human resource capacity out of the labor market.