Contents:

1. Women’s Economic Activity
2. Women’s Employment
3. Employment by Occupation
4. Employment by Economic Sector
5. Women’s Occupational Status
6. Women’s Employment in the Public Sector
7. Women’s Employment in the Private Sector
8. Rural Women’s Role in Production and the National Economy
   

According to the 1976 census, Iran’s female population of 15 years and over was 9.2 million, of which, 1.2 million or 13.4 percent were economically active. The census of 1986 indicated the number of women in this age bracket had increased by 44 percent to 13.2 million, but that the number of economically active women had actually declined by 49,000. Most of the decrease was for women between 15 and 29 years of age, whereas the number of economically active women in the age bracket of 30 to 34 had in fact registered a considerable increase on the order of 56 percent (Table 20). This decrease in the economic activity of younger women may be attributed to the following factors:

• Women’s greater desire and tendency for education.
• Young women’s desire to attend to their children’s upbringing at home.
• Economic downturn caused by the Iraqi-imposed war against Iran.

According to the 1991 census, the female population of 15 years and over was 15 million, of which, 1.488 million women constituted the economically active segment.(Table 19)

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, while laying great emphasis on the woman’s role as a mother and her significance in maintaining strong family bonds and affectionate relationships, considers women’s employment and their social and economic activities to be very meaningful and conducive to social well-being.

The preamble to the Constitution states: "While retaining their significant and worthy role of motherhood in raising children with ideological beliefs and attitudes, women, alongside men, pioneer and strive for achievement in the active fields of life. Consequently, they will assume greater responsibilities and attain greater respect from the viewpoint of Islam."

The guidelines on women’s employment in the Islamic Republic of Iran, reflected in the ratification’s of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, define supportive policies in the promotion of women’s active participation in cultural, social and economic spheres.

The Labor Law of the Islamic Republic of Iran includes all provisions to ensure the international recommendations regarding women’s employment. In addition, all labor rules and regulations are in conformity with the importance Islam assigns to the status of women in the family. Therefore, regulations are such that women engaged in different occupations can continue to assume their responsibilities within the family. And, in general, due consideration is given in the laws to the physical and moral requirements of women. Laws and regulations governing women’s employment are discussed under "Existing Legal Instruments" of this report.

From the 9.2 million women of 10 years of age and over in 1976, about one million or 11.1 percent had jobs. Corresponding population figures in the 1986 census were 13 million women of whom 903,000 or 6.8 percent were employed. According to findings of the 1991 census, the number of women who were 15 years old and over was 15 million, with 1.1 million or 7.7 percent reported as being employed.

Of the economically active female population in 1976, 13 percent were employed in professional, technical and scientific or research jobs. Women’s employment in these occupations had increased to 32.8 percent by 1986 and in 1991, it was reported to have reached 39.7 percent, with 457,000 women being employed in the groups of jobs mentioned. The percentage breakdown was as follows:

Women employed in the services sector numbered 317,000 in 1976, 448,000 in 1986 and more than 650,000 in 1991. Thus, in the span of 15 years, i.e., from 1976 to 1991, 336,000 jobs were created for women in the services sector. The majority of jobs for women were in the sub-sector of general, social and private services, which collectively accounted for 92 percent of women’s jobs in the services sector. Of the total number of jobs in this sub-sector in 1991, urban women, with rural women holding merely 9 percent held over 91 percent or 55, 000 jobs in the sub-sector mentioned.

The nature of women’s occupations in the services sector, which includes health, medical care and education, is such that it can either accelerate or slow down trends of migration from villages to urban areas. Therefore, bringing balance and co-ordination of job opportunities in this sector for the urban and rural women of the country can be very instrumental in the discouragement and stabilization of migration to urban areas.

The number of women’s jobs in the sector of agriculture, which includes the sub-sectors of farming, animal husbandry, forestry, fisheries and hunting, constituted 18.8 percent of total women’s employment in 1976, 26.6 percent in 1986 and 13 percent in 1991. In fact, in the span of six years from 1986 to 1991, about 100,000 women lost their jobs in the agricultural sector; whereas, in the same period 639,000 women in rural areas had reached their employment age.

One possible reason cited for this employment downturn is more willingness on the part of rural parents in allowing their daughters to pursue an academic education. However, it would be profoundly against justification to accept the fact that of the 7.7 million rural women of employment age, only about 150,000 are hired in agricultural activities. One reason for the existing discrepancy is inadequate approaches used in population surveys, which cause the presentation of erroneous information in census returns and subsequent incorrect analyses. Methods employed in surveys, for example, treat many rural women’s occupations like rug weaving, cottage industries, handicraft production, etc., as mere household chores and responsibilities. However, improvements are underway. One notable example is the implementation of a carpet weavers’ insurance scheme and other programs by the State Social Security Organization, which will pave the way for rural women’s recognition as economically active citizens.

The number of women employed in the industrial sector, which includes mining, water, electricity, construction and manufacturing, were 652,000 in 1976. However, their employment in this sector dropped to 223,000 in 1986 and once again increased in 1991, reaching the figure of 303,000. Women’s share of the total employment of this sector, which was 38 percent in 1976, dropped to 15 percent in 1991.

In summary, women’s employment in Iran experienced a serious setback from 1976 to 1986, and while it had improved to some extent by 1991, women’s employment did not reach the level it had achieved in 1976. A number of factors were responsible for this considerable downturn, the most important of which were as follows:

• Economic recession, downturn in industrial production and lower capacity utilization rates, which were the direct consequence of a prolonged military conflict, deprived men and women alike from many employment opportunities.
• Rapid urbanization and the increasing migration of villagers to towns and cities caused many active women in agriculture to cease their activities in farming, animal husbandry, rural handicrafts, etc., and become home-bound in urban areas. Iran’s urban population, which was 47 percent of the total in 1976, had climbed to 57 percent by 1991.
• Increasing attention to academic education, which caused many young girls to abandon workshops, factories and farming in order to attend school.
• Changes in the socio-economic fabric of the Iranian society after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, which caused a number of redundancies in jobs, which were contrary to women’s dignity and status.

A complete analysis of the occupational status of women in Iran shows that a majority of employed women are wage and salary earners. In 1991, about 60 percent of employed women in the country and 83.3 percent of employed women in urban areas were recipients of wages and monthly salaries. Self-employment constitutes women’s second largest vocational group. The ratio of self-employed women increased from 10.8 percent of total female employment in 1976 to 20.9 percent in 1991. Family employment without pay makes up the third largest job group for women. The ratio of family employment jobs decreased from 40.9 percent of women’s total employment in 1976 to 12 percent in 1991. This sharp decrease can be attributed to changing life patterns and the effect of economic depression on small family businesses.

According to recent statistics, the number of public sector employees was 1.9868 million in 1994, of which, 603,000 or about 31 percent were women. A total of 2,081,000 people were employed by the public sector in public sector was 532,000 in that year. In the span of 10 years from 1981 to 1991, the number of women government employees had doubled. The substantial rise in the number of women public sector employees is an indicator of the importance the government places on the role of women in public sector institutions. Moreover, women are increasingly occupying more specialized positions in the public sector.

The two ministries of Education and Health with 43.8 percent and 40 percent, respectively, are the largest employers of women. In the ministries that are engaged in technical and industrial activities such as the Ministry of Mines and Metals, the Ministry of Heavy Industries, the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Oil, the number of women employees is small and, on average, less than 5 percent of their total work force. At present, 33.6 percent of women employed in the public sector possess college degrees and higher academic certificates. The corresponding figure was 19.5 percent in 1978.

Based on 1994 statistics, a total number of 3.540 million persons were employed in the private sector and covered by the State Social Security Organization. Of this number, 237,000 or 6.7 percent were women. Corresponding figures in 1979 and 1983 were 88,000 and 148,000, respectively.

Rural women in Iran, very much like their counterparts in many other countries of the world, play an active part in food production and the improvement of their respective household’s economic conditions. Observations and reports by rural women extension agents indicate the increasing role of rural women in agricultural production of the country.

In Iran, women’s share in agricultural labor is stated to be at 40 percent. This figure does not take into account their activities at the household level, including vegetable gardening, flower production, etc., which supplement the family income. In fact, some informal statistics refer to women’s share in cultivation to the extent of 70 percent in rice, 90 percent in summer crops and vegetables, 50 percent in cotton and oil crops, and 30 percent in fruit harvesting.

Other rural women’s activities that are economically important include handicraft production and carpet weaving. Women account for 70 percent of the nation’s handicraft production, and about 88 percent of embroidery and carpet production in the country. Actually, the economic importance of rural women can be seen in the fact that agricultural products and rural handicrafts constitute 62 percent of the total non-oil exports of Iran.

After the imposed war, the establishment of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs at the President’s Office pave d the way for the creation of women’s units in different government organizations and initiated greater attention to women’s issues in national economic development plans. In the past two years, a number of seminars, panel discussions and programs have been organized on the role of women in economic development. In 1993, the Rural Women’s Development Office was established in the Ministry of Agriculture to co-ordinate and implement projects for the advancement of rural women. With the help of 160 women extension agents, the Rural Women’s Development Office is actively co-ordination requirements of rural women in areas of agriculture, nutrition and environmental hygiene. This office has recently undertaken the task of organizing rural female villagers in useful training, sports and other meaningful activities.

Meanwhile, the creation of the Rural Women’s Cooperatives in the Ministry of Agriculture has proved very useful in improving rural women’s managerial and decision-making capabilities in even remote and isolated villages throughout the country. The Rural Women ‘s Planning and Study Group is another useful women’s organization, which has recently been set up in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Since 1985, the Ministry of Jihad-e Sazandegi (Construction) has been expanding various co-operatives at the village level, which attend to the requirements of rural women. Other schemes of this ministry in villages include animal husbandry and vocational training courses, instruction in sanitary procedures and the establishment of extension houses and rural libraries.

Other public institutions involved in the promotion of rural activities are the State Welfare Organization, the Ministry of Health, the Literacy Campaign, the Ministry of Education and the Handicrafts Organization. The non-government organizations that are active in rural affairs include the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, the Islamic Institute of Women and the Association of Women Supporters of the Environment. All of these public and non-government organizations are giving special attention to the requirements of rural Iranian women by the implementation of various projects in family planning, production, finance, etc.

Illiteracy rates in the rural female population steadily declined from 82.8 percent in 1976 to 45.8 percent in 1991. Nonetheless, illiteracy among rural women still remains high in comparison to rural men. The Literacy Campaign is currently making great endeavors to close the gap.

While the number or rural girls attending school has increased significantly in recent years, the total number is still below their respective population percentage share. This problem can be attributed to a number of socio-economic factors.

In areas of health and medical care, there have been noticeable improvements as a result of the expansion of the health-care service network, which now covers 70 percent of the rural population in Iran.

Concerning the problem of unemployment in the rural community and the declining role of women in agricultural activities, especially at the planting phase, which is the result of increased mechanization, there have been several plans executed to make use of the valuable female work force in the post-harvest stages and the processing of agricultural products through the implementation of projects based on less sophisticated technologies.

The newly established national mechanisms for women in different government organizations of the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as in non-government organizations are making significant efforts to promote the advancement of rural women. Achievements in the removal of obstacles, the implementation of plans to increase rural women’s income and the provision of training programs have combined to promote the social, economic and cultural status of rural women in Iran. The plans which have been implemented are aimed at increasing rural women’s literacy level and rural school girls’ enrolment in junior and senior secondary schools, establishing and expanding rural women’s access to farm credit, land agricultural inputs and extension services, encouraging women’s participation in local planning, expanding the health and medical care networks and keeping the rural women informed of developments concerning their rights and privileges in order to inspire self-confidence in them.