The Socio-Economic Conditions of Women in Iran

Women’s increasing presence in the economic and social activities is one of the main pillars of the economic development. In Iran, especially after the Islamic Revolution, special efforts were made to increase the role of women in the society. As a result, the fields of health and education enjoyed a significant improvement. However, despite the fact that the development of all the predisposing factors has contributed to the greater participation of women in the economy and society in previous years, a large proportion of the population of Iranian women, especially women with academic achievements, are not actively engaged in social activities. The non-economic attitude toward education, lack of success in finding suitable jobs, the inconsistency of education with the needs of the market and low wages seem to be among the barriers in this area. Nevertheless, it is expected that Iranian women’s participation in economic and social activities will be enhanced by taking appropriate measures in the area of entrepreneurship development and empowerment of women.