Minister of Labor: Many Iranian Women Hide Their Widowhood

The Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare of Iran, Ali Rabi'i, has stated that the way some men view widowed women in the country has led many of them to hide their widowhood. In a report on Saturday (June 23), Rabi'i mentioned this issue on his Telegram channel in commemoration of International Widows' Day. He criticized the fact that the attitudes of some men in Iran often have an 'immoral and exploitative' nature towards widowed women. Rabi'i wrote that 'unfortunately, such behaviors have sometimes added to the suffering of these women and created a worrying life for them, to the extent that widowed women in Iranian society often feel compelled to conceal their widowhood.' He pointed to the 'multiple challenges' women face in various societies, including 'poverty and deprivation,' noting that 'Iran has its own specific marginal issues in this regard.' The Minister added that he personally conducted an 'incomplete study' in 2012 regarding the security of women in workplaces from a sociological perspective, and 'the initial data from the interviews indicated that this group of women experiences compounded insecurity within Iranian society.' This is one of the rarest statements by an official in the Islamic Republic regarding a social issue that has been repeatedly criticized by women's activists. In Iran, there is generally a negative perception towards divorced or widowed women, and many men, and even some women, easily attribute immoral labels to them. Rabi'i attributed this 'compounded insecurity' for widowed women in Iran to the country's 'social structures' and added that 'a comfortable and secure life in society is essential for them, in addition to the need for jobs.' He stated that the respect for widowed women in society is contingent upon honoring 'their important role in the family and society and their commendable efforts in caring for their children, managing households, and jobs.' In his message for International Widows' Day, Rabi'i called for creating 'conditions for a comfortable life' for them, establishing 'laws and regulations and a supportive culture with respect for this group of women in large cities.' Providing 'consultation services for single-parent family management and planning to increase the security rate' of these women was another suggestion from the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Affairs. He also supported 'creating conditions for the acceptance of children for single women.' The term 'widowed women' refers to those whose partners have passed away, and the Minister stated that the number of such women worldwide exceeds '256 million' with '584 million' children. The website Entekhab reported in 2011, citing Alireza Abbaspour, a member of parliament, that the number of widowed women in Iran is six million.