Molaweardi: Over 40% of Educated Women Are Unemployed

The Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, Shahindokht Molaweardi, announced that the unemployment rate for women with university degrees in Iran is "over 40%". According to the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, on Sunday, September 15, she stated that the unemployment of educated women and female heads of households not only harms them but also negatively impacts the country's economy due to "neglecting this human capacity." She added that the growing trend of female heads of households and the feminization of poverty leaves no room for questioning the prioritization of these women in employment opportunities. Molaweardi suggested that the government could increase women's economic participation by removing "burdensome laws," supporting women active in cooperatives, and trusting women's capabilities. Previously, some officials of the Islamic Republic had pointed out the increasing number of educated women, noting that employment statistics for women still lag significantly behind those of men. For instance, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of Iran, reported on April 22 that the unemployment rate for women is twice that of men and that "women's work is becoming seasonal." Meanwhile, Masoud Nili, the economic advisor to the President of Iran, stated that women's share in industrial employment is "very low," despite the increasing share of women in higher education. Earlier, Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, noted in a report that women make up only 16% of Iran's workforce and that there are "no real" signs of improvement in women's participation in the workforce. Additionally, Soheila Jaloudarzadeh, an advisor to the Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade of Iran, mentioned on Sunday, June 21, that "in many cases, up to one-third of the minimum labor law is not paid to women." Some officials of the Islamic Republic had previously expressed concern over the rising unemployment of university graduates. The Research Center of the Iranian Parliament reported in early September that 5.6 million new university graduates were added between 2005 and 2013, indicating a decrease in youth employment during these years, with over 2.2 million young people becoming unemployed. According to this center, in 2021, in the "best" scenario, with an annual economic growth of 5%, the number of unemployed individuals will exceed 4.1 million, leading to an unemployment rate of 15.9%.