Seats That Women Cannot Reach

According to World Bank statistics, women's share in the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Iran is only 3%. Out of a total of 288 representatives in the ninth parliament, only 9 are women. In the Millennium Development Goals document, which was agreed upon at the United Nations in 2000 and signed by Iran, it was stated that by the end of this year, eight goals should be achieved. One of these goals is to promote gender equality and empower women, and one of the points mentioned for expanding gender equality and empowering women is the share of women in the parliaments of countries, which is stated in this document to reach 30% by the end of this year. According to UN statistics, the average share of women in national parliaments worldwide has doubled compared to 20 years ago, but there is still one female representative for every five male representatives in parliament. Comparing different periods of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, in the first three periods, four women from Tehran's electoral district entered the parliament each time. In the fourth parliament, the number of female representatives increased to 9. The fifth parliament had the highest number of female representatives so far, with 14 representatives from Tehran, two from Isfahan, two from Mashhad, one from Urmia, one from Hamadan, and one from Lar. The sixth and seventh parliaments both had 13 female representatives. In the eighth parliament, this number decreased to 8, and finally, the share of women in the ninth parliament was 9 representatives. Mahnaz Afkhami, the second woman to hold a ministerial position in contemporary Iran and head of the International Organization for Women's Education and Cooperation in the U.S., discusses the reasons for the lack of female representatives in Iran: "There are various factors, one of the most important being the political and social culture of society in general, especially at the policymaking level, which constantly presents the role of women as an effective factor within the family and does not present their role as a constructive factor in management and leadership. This issue is concerning because Iran was once a pioneer in the role of women in society. In the years before the revolution, we had about 9% female participation in parliament, while at that time, the U.S. had 4.5% female participation in its Congress. The second issue is the existence of effective and powerful NGOs that encourage women to participate politically, which unfortunately we do not have in Iran." Efforts to change the male face of parliament are underway. Now, on the verge of the tenth parliamentary elections, women's rights activists are demanding a larger share of parliamentary seats. In April 2015, Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, announced that she was negotiating to increase women's share in the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Following that, in November, a campaign called "Towards Changing the Male Face of Parliament" was launched. The activists of this campaign, citing the Millennium Development Goals document that Iran has committed to, are calling for an increase in women's share in parliament to 30%. Mahnaz Afkhami, a minister before the revolution, points to Article 20 of the Constitution, which states that all individuals of the nation, both women and men, are equal under the law and enjoy all human, political, economic, social, and cultural rights while respecting Islamic principles. However, this campaign also has opponents. Zahra Elhian, a representative from the eighth parliament, believes that "enemies and the system of domination" are trying to achieve their goals in Iran by involving feminist individuals and transforming the thoughts and minds of Iranian women. Mohammad Reza Khatami, a member of the Central Council of the Participation Front and brother of the former president of Iran, wrote in a note published on Tuesday, November 25, in the Law newspaper: "Are we supposed to lose parliament at the cost of adhering to 30% (women's share), or should we think about the fact that we are currently in a special situation and need a moderate and expert parliament, and it is through that parliament that we can act to achieve women's rights?" Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the Reformists' Election Council, and Fa'ezeh Hashemi, daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and a representative in the fifth parliament, have supported increasing women's presence in the tenth parliament. According to ISNA news agency, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Discernment Council, has stated in a message to women at the second provincial gathering of women striving for reform and development that they should not be afraid to run for parliament. In contrast, Shahbanu Amani, a representative from Urmia in the fifth and sixth Islamic Consultative Assemblies, believes it is important to consider the mindset of a female candidate entering parliament, and certainly, a candidate who pays attention to women's rights alongside national interests should be given more attention. In recent years, especially during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, most female representatives in parliament were from conservative factions. Mahnaz Afkhami believes that while these representatives may pass anti-women laws and have a negative impact, their mere presence in parliament is positive. She says, "Overall, I think it is important. Even individuals who represent a specific group or have reached their position as defenders of women's rights, their presence in these positions is significant. Because it gives young people the image that access to these positions is possible. I wish women who support women's rights were allowed to participate in elections and could gain these seats. But in their absence, the existence of these images is important in itself." Women's share of the Afghan parliament: According to Mehr news agency, Shahindokht Molaverdi recently spoke about the necessity of allocating a quota for women in the Islamic Consultative Assembly and mentioned the experiences of other countries in this regard. Ms. Molaverdi stated that in meetings with the Afghan Minister of Women, the parliamentary delegation of that country, and the former advisor to the Minister of Women in Iraq, they emphasized that with the quota system, some parliamentary seats have been allocated to women. According to Afghan law, 20% of parliamentary seats are reserved for women. Currently, 68 out of 249 seats in the House of Representatives and 20 seats in the Afghan Senate are allocated to women. Allocating quotas for women: Mahnaz Afkhami, the second woman to hold a ministerial position in contemporary Iran, believes that allocating quotas for women in parliaments is one of the ways to increase women's presence in assemblies. Mahnaz Afkhami states: "Allocating quotas is not only for women; even in societies with racial or religious differences, it has always existed to help the participation of minority forces, for example, for different racial groups in the U.S. or in other countries. It is a help to those who have not reached the role they should have." However, the issue of parliamentary quotas has faced criticism from some conservatives. For instance, Laleh Eftekhari, spokesperson for the women's faction in parliament, told Mehr news agency that some statements about creating a quota for women's entry into parliament are unprofessional and undermine Iran's electoral system, and according to her, it is an insult to the general intelligence of society and specifically to women. Women's share in the Turkish parliament: Turkey currently has more female representatives than at any time in the past 81 years. In last summer's parliamentary elections, 98 women succeeded in securing seats in the parliament of that country. According to AFP, the extensive presence of women in the Turkish parliament was a significant step towards establishing democracy in that country. Women's participation in the Turkish parliament is about 18%. Women's share in Saudi society: However, in recent weeks, women in Saudi Arabia achieved a significant victory. For the first time, they were able to run in local council elections. Christina Wilfor, an expert on increasing women's political participation, stated that according to the Saudi Ministry of Interior, 20 women in various regions of the country succeeded in obtaining seats in local council elections. These elections were held to elect 284 representatives to city councils, and among nearly 7,000 candidates, only 900 were women. However, women in Saudi Arabia are still deprived of the right to drive, travel without a male family member, marry without the permission of a guardian, work without the permission of a guardian or husband, appear in public places without wearing a hijab, receive equal shares as men, work in certain jobs, socialize with unrelated men in public places like restaurants, and the right to divorce. Christina Wilfor, an expert on increasing women's participation in parliaments and political parties, discusses the status of women's participation in Saudi Arabia: "Saudi Arabia is overall one of the biggest challenges for participation in any field. Not only for political participation but for participation in social life and the entire community, there are many laws and traditional cultures that challenge women's presence. There is still much work to be done. The fact that a law has been enacted allowing women to run for elections is not enough. Many steps need to be taken to increase women's participation in Saudi Arabia." However, Ms. Wilfor believes that comparing a country like Saudi Arabia, which does not follow democratic rules, with countries that adhere to democratic models is not feasible. But she says change is happening slowly. Christina Wilfor adds: "Change is even happening in the Middle East and war-torn areas like Syria. Even in times of war and crisis, there are women who believe their voices should be heard and that they should have a place in governing the country. This is something I have seen in Syria. Even in Iraq, which has difficult conditions, there are women who are politically active." It is clear that if the trend of women's participation in parliaments continues as it is now, women, as half of the world's population, will not achieve gender equality with men for years to come.