Rohani: Steps Must Be Taken to Manage Women's High Positions Gradually

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated that there is no gap between men and women, describing patriarchal thinking as 'traditional but un-Islamic.' Speaking on Saturday night, July 3, to activists in the field of women and family, he added: 'What is this interpretation that divides men and women into two different genders and refers to men as the superior gender?' Rouhani also remarked: 'Some believed that if men are present in society, faith, chastity, purity, and spirituality exist, but if women are among men, ethics, spirituality, and everything disappears, but this is not the case.' The President pointed out that the presence of women in parliamentary commissions led to 'greater spirituality' and 'order' in their meetings and added: 'Many traditions in our society have no connection to Islamic thought. In Islamic thought, we do not consider men to have superiority.' Rouhani called for the traditional thinking that men are superior to women to be set aside and for men and women to be equal in today's society. He noted the effective presence of women in 'government agencies, parliament, and councils,' in 'fields related to science and knowledge,' and in 'some economic enterprises, including petrochemicals,' stating: 'In the recent employment test, no quota was set for women, which angered me, and ultimately that directive was annulled and reissued.' The President mentioned that in all tests, 'the share of women and men was equal, and ultimately 53 percent of women succeeded in these tests.' Rouhani emphasized that the realities of today's world and Islam must be accepted, stating: 'Today, women are sensitive to their fate and are making good efforts, but to be present in managerial positions, more effort is needed. It is clear that a woman who has not been in managerial positions cannot be placed in a high management position all at once; rather, steps must be taken gradually.' He called for 'this path to be taken with more patience' and added: 'There are obstacles and challenges ahead, but these obstacles will be removed.' In Rouhani's first government, no female ministers were introduced, but Elham Aminzadeh served as the legal deputy to the President, Masoumeh Ebtekar as the head of the Department of Environment, and Shahindokht Molaverdi as the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs. In 2016, Aminzadeh was appointed as an advisor to the President on citizen rights, and Majid Ansari replaced her as the legal deputy to the President. Meanwhile, some members of parliament and political activists have called for greater female representation in Rouhani's second government, and Shahindokht Molaverdi has predicted that two or three female ministers will be introduced to parliament in the next government. Ashraf Boroujerdi, head of the National Library and Archives Organization, also announced on May 28 that names and criteria for female ministers were being compiled within a committee headed by Shahindokht Molaverdi. According to the Iranian Presidential Information Center, Rouhani stated that the government is committed to citizen rights and equal opportunities for women and men, saying: 'The government and the President are committed to implementing citizen rights and Article 11 of the Citizen Rights Charter, which establishes equal rights for men and women, as well as Article 54, which emphasizes respect for women.' He promised that these rights would be 'executed and operationalized.' In his first cabinet meeting after being re-elected, on May 21, he called for more women and youth to be employed in managerial positions, stating that in the elections, the voices of the people, including minorities, women, and youth, were heard. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch criticized the discrimination and obstacles facing women in Iranian society and the job market in a report released on May 24. This international, non-governmental human rights organization urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to reform its laws and social conditions to remove these obstacles. The Human Rights Watch report titled 'This is a Male Gathering' stated that women in Iran 'face a set of legal and social barriers that not only limit their lives but also their livelihoods, resulting in severe economic inequality in their lives.' According to this organization, although women 'constitute over 50 percent of university graduates,' their labor force participation rate is 'only 17 percent.' Previously, the 2015 Global Gender Gap Report prepared by the World Economic Forum ranked Iran among the bottom five countries in terms of gender equality (141 out of 145).