Rouhani: The Government Will Strive to Ensure 50% of Society Does Not Remain Second-Class

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, announced on Sunday, April 23, that "the government sees it as its duty to take necessary actions to ensure women's equal presence and use of social facilities." According to ISNA news agency, while speaking at a large commemorative event, he added, "the government will strive to ensure that 50% of society does not remain unemployed, isolated, and second-class." Referring to Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who designated the year 1394 as the year of 'Government and Nation, Sympathy and Common Language,' he said, "Sympathy should not be limited to 50% of society but should be realized in 100% of society. Respect for women must be maintained at all levels." Rouhani continued, "Within households, women should be the center and axis of the home and should also be allowed to participate in all social issues within the framework of Islam." These remarks come a day after Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women’s Affairs, criticized the announcement of a centralized government employment exam by the 'Management and Planning' and 'Assessment' organizations, stating that there were gender discriminations that "do not align 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, where less than 1% of the quota was allocated solely for women. Rouhani's emphasis that women should "be allowed to participate in all social issues within the framework of Islam" comes despite previous statements from Ayatollah Khamenei, who deemed gender equality between men and women as "wrong" and stated that women's issues cannot be examined separately from the family. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, stated last month that the human rights situation in Iran, including the status of women and activists in this field, has "worsened" during Rouhani's presidency. Meanwhile, Samantha Power, the US Ambassador to the UN, criticized the human rights record of the Islamic Republic regarding women's issues, deeming the vote for Iran's membership in the UN Gender Equality Agency as "completely inappropriate." Ms. Power emphasized, "In Iran, the law does not allow women to be appointed to certain government positions, there is no law against domestic violence, and adultery is punished by stoning." Rouhani further stated, "We do not have patriarchy or matriarchy in Islam, but what we have is meritocracy. Men and women are together in social issues, enjoining good and forbidding wrong. Unfortunately, in today’s society, the forbidding of wrong has been brought only against women in certain streets." He added, "Today, our greatest wrong is unemployment in society. Today, our greatest good is the development of the country. Today, our greatest wrong is water scarcity. How did the status of this wrong and good diminish so much? Who reduced the concept of wrong and good to a few Islamic branches?" He also remarked, "Of course, the branches of Islam are respected, but where did the important and the unimportant go? What are the needs of our society?"