The establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 prepared the ground for the application of the human-nurturing divine principles of Islam to enhance the status of women in society. On the other, the adoption of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the United Nations Decade of Women, which focused, global attention on women’s affairs has been given due attention and review. Hence, based on this ensuing review, the Islamic Republic of Iran proffers new guidelines on women’s development to be reviewed by international institutions. These guidelines are founded on the principles of the intrinsic equality of all men and women, women’s tutorial guidance of human society, defining men’s and women’s social relations on the basis of the ethical and human values upheld by Islam and finally, on the necessity for women’s participation in decision-making processes at all levels. The ultimate success of any social movement, particularly that of women, rests upon these principles.

At present, based on the indicators determined by the United Nations, the situation of Iranian women in areas under discussion is as follows:

It is worthy to note that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran places considerable emphasis on the importance of supporting women’s rights in all dimensions and on the necessity of creating a healthy environment to secure women’s progress and development in all moral and economic aspects. The Iranian Civil Code also supports the rights of women in organizations have explored existing legislation in amendments to laws to protect women’s rights. It should be further mentioned that the main problem with present laws lies in their application, and it is in this area that the Judiciary has been most helpful in pursuing judicial appointments that give careful attention to issues pertaining to women’s rights. Moreover, since 1993, a number of women have been appointed as jurisconsults.

The present Islamic Consultative Assembly, the nation’s Parliament, has nine women representatives out of the total number of 270. The number of female parliamentarians is now more than double that of the previous Assembly. Although the ratio between women and men parliamentarians is small, there has been a notable increase in the number of women vying for office in recent elections compared with previous elections.

At present, the President’s Advisor on Women’s Affairs is the highest position held by an Iranian woman. In addition, a number of ministerial counselors are women. Due to the increases emphasis of government authorities on integrating women’s potentials in economic development, as well as the positive performance of various organizations in the promotion of women’s advancement, the presence of women in mid-managerial positions and their activities in the middle echelons of government organizations have increased markedly.

The number of organizations engaged in activities related to women’s affairs has increased substantially in recent years and, at the present time, women’s units are well established in all ministries and government institutions. In addition, benefiting from the creation of more appropriate circumstances and increased government support which has facilitated the creation and registration of non-government organizations (NGOs), the number of women’s NGOs has also grown noticeably.

There are no detailed formal statistics on the number of women who live in poverty. Government welfare organizations and many non-government organizations have implemented several schemes including vocational-technical training courses and small-scale projects for the creation of self-employment opportunities to help deprived women augment their income. It should also be noted that regulations concerning applications for grants, guaranteed credit and loans pertain to men and women equally.

Analysis of trends in recent years indicates that women are rapidly overcoming the constraints, which have hindered their education, and the academic gap between men and women is consequently closing. However, at the present time, the illiteracy rate among women is higher and school enrollment ratios still favor male students.

Many educational obstacles facing women have been removed and female secondary school graduates now have the opportunity to further pursue their education at the university level in the fields befitting their talents and abilities. With more available facilities and with the encouragement of social and religious authorities, there is a growing willingness on the part of parents to send their daughters to school. It is interesting to note that the academic performance of female students is, on the average, five percentage points higher than that of their male counterparts.

Commensurate with the growing educational needs of the country, the number of teachers has been increasing every year.

In spite of the tremendous problems of the past fifteen years, Iran has shown continuos improvement in health indicators. Material mortality rate (per 100,000 live births) steadily decreased from 245 in 1976 to 54 in 1993. And currently, 75% of the rural population and 60% of the urban population are directly covered by health and medical-care services. Meanwhile, the population growth rate decreased from 3.2% in 1984 to 2.3% in 1993. The rate further declined to 1.8% in 1994.

The end of the war with Iraq allowed the government’s full attention to be focused on economic planning and development. The ensuing economic prosperity has increased the number of employed women in different sectors. One specific trend in women’s employment has been their increasing preference for professional jobs.

While official statistics on employment do not include rural women and housewives in the category of the economically active population, rural women perform a significant function in income-generating activities at the household level.

H. Women's Economic Situation

Iranian women have always participated actively in various economic activities. Rural women's economic endeavors 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

I. Elimination of Violence against Women

Because of firmly established religious beliefs and the existing social and cultural norms and criteria which originate from Islamic values and principles that emphasize respect for women, and the existence of strict laws and serious punishment for violation of these laws, the incidence of violence against women in Iran is low compared with many other countries.

Considering the achievements in the areas of progress mentioned, it can be concluded that the social position and the living conditions of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran have been continually improving and that women’s moral and material progress has been satisfactory and, indeed, trends are all indicative of a bright future.

J. Future Strategic Policies and Objectives for the Promotion of Women's Advancements

Improvements in the situation of women after the Islamic Revolution have been realized through qualitative and moral indicators such as social security, enjoyment of increased respect in the family and a prominent managerial and educational role within the family environment. The dignity of the woman is respected in the mass media and she is no longer portrayed as a mere object of sexual attraction and means for propagation of consumerism. Her sublime status in society has been restored through the establishment of high moral standards and values.

In view of the importance of these achievements, the Islamic Republic of Iran re-emphasizes the fact that, in addition to deliberation on indicators of material development, it is absolutely necessary to maintain moral indicators in order to achieve real progress and sustainable development. Focus on progress must include both quantitative and qualitative indicators. Material development to the detriment of moral values will not entail happiness for women.

Based on the framework and indicators given by the United Nations, future policies for the promotion of women's progress in different areas are given in this section.