Gender Justice and Women's Share in Rouhani's Second Cabinet

With less than 12 days remaining until Hassan Rouhani's inauguration and the official start of the twelfth government, the debate over the appointment of a female minister in the upcoming Iranian government has intensified. Parvaneh Salahshouri, head of the Women and Family Faction in Parliament, stated in an interview with Mehr News Agency on Tuesday, August 2, that the members of this faction are demanding the appointment of a female minister, saying, "Mr. Rouhani has not responded yet, and at the Iftar banquet, he implicitly indicated that there will be no female minister." Salahshouri pointed out the lack of female ministerial appointments in the twelfth government, while Masoumeh Ebtekar, Rouhani's deputy in the Environmental Protection Organization, said on Tuesday to ISNA that "Hassan Rouhani is looking for an appointment that does not harm the status and image of women." Ebtekar added, "Rouhani's sensitivity is logical, and options are being reviewed," but nothing has been "confirmed yet." Previously, political activists in Iran had reported that no women would be proposed for ministerial positions in Rouhani's list to the Islamic Consultative Assembly. For instance, Ashraf Boroujerdi, a reformist political activist, said on July 27 in an interview with Young Journalists Club that it seems there is "no will" for women to be considered as ministers in the future cabinet. The possibility of presenting a "male-only" list of proposed ministers comes at a time when the appointment of a female minister and even the establishment of a Ministry for Women were among Hassan Rouhani's electoral promises in both presidential elections. Salahshouri emphasized the need for a female minister, referring to Article 116 of the Sixth Development Plan, which stresses "gender justice," stating, "We want a female minister, and this is a demand from society, and we believe that women can serve at the ministerial level." This parliament member pointed out that women hold the most important political positions in Britain and Germany, asserting that her demand is "not at the level of European countries but in the region." Salahshouri added, "For example, in Afghanistan, women hold ministerial positions, and among the 35 ministers in Muslim Indonesia, there are 9 women; also, in Saudi Arabia, despite a high level of sectarianism, 19% of parliamentary seats are occupied by women." The head of the Women and Family Faction stated, "Mr. Rouhani has the support of 51% of women who voted for him, and one of these women's demands is to have a female minister." While discussions about women's ministerial appointments have not reached a conclusion, Zahra Ahmadipour, head of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, said on Tuesday, "It is still not possible to comment on the increase or decrease of women's presence in the cabinet." Ahmadipour stated to ILNA that there has been no discussion regarding either the "Vice Presidency" or the "Ministry" with her. Last week, Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, also mentioned that there has been no talk about her presence in the upcoming government. Nevertheless, on Sunday, August 1, Fatemeh Zolghadr, a member of the Women’s Faction in Parliament, announced that according to the latest information received by parliament representatives, the position of Minister of Education is likely to be given to a woman. Zolghadr mentioned Molaverdi as a candidate for the Ministry of Education and Ebtekar as a "suitable option" for the Ministry of Agriculture. Despite claims by Molaverdi that the presence of women as ministers and deputy ministers has broken the taboo of women's presence in the government, Masoumeh Ebtekar stated on Tuesday that women managers face a "gendered perspective." She added, "Unfair critics have repeatedly told me to go home and do my cooking, take care of my children, and prepare my meals." According to Ebtekar, if a task is assigned to a woman and criticisms arise, it is immediately linked to her gender, and some are constantly trying to "prove that women are not made for executive and managerial tasks." In Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second government, for the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran, three female ministers were introduced, with the parliament only voting for Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi for the Ministry of Health. In Rouhani's first government, no female ministers were introduced, but Elham Aminzadeh served as the Legal Deputy of the President, Masoumeh Ebtekar as the head of the Environmental Protection Organization, 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 of the President. Additionally, four women were appointed as deputy ministers in Rouhani's government, including Marzieh Shahdaei, the first woman to be appointed as the CEO of the National Petrochemical Company and Deputy Minister of Oil after the 1979 Revolution.