Iran's Vice President for Women: Recent Employment Exam is Discriminatory

Shahindokht Molaverdi, Iran's Vice President for Women, criticized the announcement of the centralized government employment exam by the 'Management and Planning' and 'Assessment' organizations, stating that it contains gender discrimination that is 'not in line with the President's promises.' In mid-April, Iranian media reported a joint announcement from the 'Management and Planning' and 'Assessment' organizations for hiring in 13 government organizations, which allocated less than one percent of the quotas solely for women. Among 2,284 employment quotas, 82 percent are exclusively for men, with 500 shared quotas and only 16 quotas designated for women. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, Molaverdi stated on April 22 in Tehran that this quota distribution 'does not align with the President's promises.' This government official mentioned that in drafting the sixth development plan for the current solar year, 'the rightful position of women must be considered.' The newspaper Shargh reported that this recent quota distribution occurs while the 'unemployment rate for women is twice that of men' in Iran. ISNA news agency, referring to the Statistical Center of Iran, stated that 'the unemployment rate among men is 8.7 percent and among women is 20.3 percent.' The organizations for which the employment announcement was made include the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance, the Administrative Justice Court, the Tax Affairs Organization, the Forensic Medicine Organization, the Civil Registration Organization, and scientific and research organizations affiliated with the Presidential Institution. ISNA noted that the Administrative Justice Court is one of the few organizations on the published list that accepts both women and men in almost equal numbers across all employment fields. The newspaper Shargh mentioned that organizations such as the Tax Affairs Organization, the Forensic Medicine Organization, the Veterinary Organization, or scientific and research organizations affiliated with the Presidential Institution are among those that have allocated the highest quotas exclusively to men. For instance, the Tehran Emergency Center has allocated all of its 212 employment quotas solely to men. In her remarks on Saturday, Molaverdi referred to the need for investment in women's research and stated that this issue should be viewed as an opportunity, not a cost, and that if women do not receive the right response, it will lead to their frustration. Previously, on April 30 of last year, Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, deemed 'gender equality between men and women' as 'wrong,' stating that the issue of women cannot be examined separately from the family. Iran is currently elected to the board of the 'Women of the United Nations' organization. The United States, among the opponents of such a move, criticized the human rights record of the Islamic Republic regarding women's issues again on Friday, deeming the vote on this matter 'completely inappropriate.'