Iranian women have always participated actively in various economic activities. Rural women's economic endeavours are noticeable in different domains throughout Iran's agrarian society. In urban areas, too, women play important roles in all economic disciplines. Many of them enjoy financial independence and have a significant part in household financial affairs and contribute to their respective family's welfare and economic well-being.

In view of the existing social and economic conditions in rural areas, credit requirements of villagers, including rural women, are met through official, semi-official and informal institutions, each operating in its own special way depending on the scale of their operation. As an example, activities of the Agricultural Bank which is an official credit institution is discussed below.

Based on its regulations, the Agricultural Bank provides equal opportunities for men and women to apply for bank loans and credit. Rural women benefit by the Bank's credit facilities in two major ways as follows:

• Women's Indirect Access to Credit Facilities

In the majority of cases in Iran, the household is headed by men who, as the household managers, can apply for loans on the behalf of all the economically active members of the family. The loans and credit obtained from the Agricultural Bank will be invested in the purchase of means and inputs of production which ultimately benefit women through increased productivity and higher household income generation.

• Women's Direct Access to Credit Facilities

Women that are directly involved in agricultural production and own such farm inputs as land, water, dairy cattle, etc., can directly apply for loans from the Agricultural Bank of Iran. In fact, the Bank has provisions that, under equal conditions, give priority to women for obtaining loans and credit. According to recent published information, rural women constitute 15 percent of the total number of loan recipients of the Agricultural Bank.

One noticeable achievement in extending assistance to rural women is that according to a special scheme offered by the Agricultural Bank, rural women household heads who do not own farmland or lack any sizeable means of support can obtain low-interest mortgage-free loans for economic activities they are engaged in. In effect, this scheme turns women who would otherwise live on charity into economically productive entities that can promote production in rural areas.

Integration of credit, technical and advisory facilities of the Agricultural Bank and their availability to rural women in general and the homeless in particular, will create better conditions for improved income and lessen incentives for migration to urban areas.

Once again, it should be mentioned that rural women in Iran can own land, gardens, livestock, etc., and hence, are treated equally with men according to the laws governing ownership.

On the other hand, urban women's ownership does not meet any legal, cultural or social barriers, either. The latest information obtained from the Tehran Municipality's data bank system indicates that in April 1994, the number of women and men having registered real-estate ownership in Tehran were 71,164 and 577,251, respectively.