reportedly fail to be enforced.9 Reports of women facing discrimination, sexual harassment and
assault, notably in the workplace, have gained more visibility recently, including on social media
in Iran.10 11
Although not limiting the discriminatory legal framework described above, the Government
engaged in several actions to address women’s access to employment in the Islamic Republic of
Iran. By the order of President Rouhani, the Supreme Administrative Council reportedly decided
to allocate 30% of the managerial positions to Iranian women. The Government also established
a National Task Force on the Empowerment of Female Heads of Households in the field of
development of employment and entrepreneurship and launched the Women's Business
Development and Acceleration Center, which is aimed at “strengthening rural women's
associations and cooperation” as well as “entrepreneurship development for women”. 12 Out of
the 41 million Iranian female population,13 the Government reported that 4,000 are “active
female entrepreneurs”.14 According to the Government, women’s economic participation rate
“has risen from 12.4% in 2013 to 16.4% in 2018”.15 Other governmental statistics published in
2018 reportedly indicated that female economic participation stood at 15.9%.16 Regardless, such
rates remain some of the lowest in the world. In the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender
Gap Report in 2017, Iran was ranked 140 out of 144 countries assessed.17 Similarly, a World
Bank study ranked Iran fourth lowest in its 2019 Women, Business and the Law index.18
Unemployment is more prevalent among women in Iran compared to men. 19
There are no reports that indicate the existence of effective state-sponsored campaigns aimed at
helping employers and workers to identify discrimination and promote equality in Iranian
workplaces.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has not ensured equality of opportunity or eliminated
discriminatory laws and practices related to women’s work.
Recommendation Status:
This recommendation has NOT been implemented.
9
Human Rights Watch <https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/05/25/its-mens-club/discrimination-against-women-irans-job-market>
BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35535269
11
AL Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/22/iranians-break-taboos-with-their-own-version-of-metoo ; Human
Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/09/iran-having-its-metoo-moment
12
UPR 2019, National Report, Islamic Republic of Iran, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1
13
World Bank, 2019, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.IN?locations=IR
14
UPR 2019, National Report, Islamic Republic of Iran, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1
15
UPR 2019, National Report, Islamic Republic of Iran, https://undocs.org/A/HRC/WG.6/34/IRN/1
16
Statistical Centre of Iran, Natayej-e-Amar giri-ye- nirou-ye-kaar, Paeiz-e-1396 [Results of the census on workforce, Autumn
of 1396], https://bit.ly/330NG8t
17
World Economic Forum, the Global Gender Gap Report 2017. Available from: < https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-globalgender-gap-report-2017 >
18
World Bank, Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform, May 2019,
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/31327/WBL2019.pdf
19
Statistics Center of Iran <https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/1/releases/lfs/LFS_1397.pdf>
10
2