Iranian Embassy - London: وضعیت زنان در جمهوری اسلامی ایران ( به زبان انگلیسی )

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وضعیت زنان در جمهوری اسلامی ایران ( به زبان انگلیسی )

Status of Women in the Islamic Republic of Iran

MINISTRY OF FOREIGHN AFFAIRS

IN COLLABORATION WITH

Women

May, June 2010

WOMEN`S INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

’s Information and Statistics Center (WISC) of the’s Social and Cultural Council

Table of Contents

Preface

Women

　Expansion of women

　’s remarkable educational and scientific development in post-Islamic Revolution era ’s participation and role in cultural arenas ’s health and hygiene development indices ’s employment and social participation indices

Expansion of women

Women

’s political participation in post- Islamic Revolution era ’s support and security indices in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Women’s remarkable educational and scientific development in post-revolution era

Women were generally illiterate or had little education before the Islamic Revolution. According to the census made in 1976, only 35.48 percent of women of the country were educated. From this number, girls consisted 37.83 percent of school students, and 29.8 percent of university students^.

Relative Distribution of Female Population, by Literacy Status (1956-2006)

Source: Statistical Center of Iran

Year	Literate	Illiterate
1956	7.24	92.76
1966	17.41	82.59
1976	35.48	64.52
1986	52.07	47.93
1996	74.21	25.79
1997	74.24	25.76
1998	75.33	24.67
1999	75.7	24.3
2000	76.04	23.96
2001	76.96	23.04
2002	77.78	22.22
2003	79.85	20.15
2004	80.16	19.84
2006	80.34	19.66

Number and Percentage of Students by Gender (1956-2010)

Source: Ministry of Education

Year	Number	Percentage
	Girl	Boy	Girl	Boy
1956-1957	324658	763744	29.83	70.17
1966-1967	1024688	1969139	34.23	65.77
1976-1977	2777724	4565018	37.83	62.17
1986-1987	4647612	6337392	42.31	57.69
1996-1997	8521068	9706283	46.75	53.25
1997-1998	8640329	9699560	47.11	52.89
1998-1999	8739010	9750223	47.27	52.73
2000-2001	8470241	9301661	47.66	52.34
2001-2002	8278130	8993471	47.93	52.07
2002-2003	7978101	8613124	48.09	51.91
2003-2004	7730638	8297282	48.23	51.77
2004-2005	7391739	7872610	48.43	51.57
2005-2006	7222859	7661927	48.53	51.47
2006-2007	7017448	7432766	48.57	51.43
2007-2008	6791723	7180607	48.61	51.39
2008-2009	6770042	7258654	48.26	51.74
2009-2010	6738684	7246773	48.18	51.82

Number of Students at State Universities and Higher Education Institutions by Gender (1976-2009)

Source: Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology

Year	Number	Percentage
	Female	Male	Female	Male
1976-1977	46019	108196	29.84	70.16
1986-1987	49085	118886	29.22	70.78
1996-1997	209163	369907	36.12	63.88
1997-1998	238687	386693	38.17	61.83
1998-1999	267650	371263	41.89	58.11
1999-2000	299333	379319	44.11	55.89
2000-2001	346342	387177	47.22	52.78
2001-2002	378365	381505	49.79	50.21
2002-2003	412848	396719	51	49
2003-2004	493420	430493	53.41	46.59
2004-2005	549570	469410	53.93	46.07
2005-2006	656847	534201	55.15	44.85
2006-2007	888799	650075	57.76	42.24
2007-2008	1227886	861397	58.77	41.23
2008-2009	1708553	1641188	51	49

Besides, women consisted 47.2 percent of the staff in the educational body of the country, and 14.7 percent university instructors and professors.

As mentioned by Imam Khomeini in his will, women experienced a great development after the Islamic Revolution, particularly in literacy, and public and higher education, and this was such a huge and significant progress that it attracted the attention of all national and international public opinion. With determination and attempt, and following the instructions and teachings of Imam Khomeini, who described education as Jihad (great endeavor in the way of Allah (S.W.T), women went through striking development and progress within these three decades. Today, 80.34 percent of women above six are literate.whereas in 2006, the literacy rate was estimated 95.16 percent for women aged between 6 and 29, and 96.48 percent for men. According to the census made 2009-2010, the number of female students was estimated 6738684, which consisted 48.18 percent of total population of students in the country.

This rate has increased 142.6 percent compared to the last three decades.

A comparison between the total population of women in the country (49 percent) and percentage of female students (48.18 percent) reveals

According to the reports of the Organization, women consisted 84.58 percent of the total number of instructors in 2009, and 85.6 percent of the total number of apprentices in 2007.

Considering that, the above-mentioned proportion is almost still the same in the activity years of the Literacy Movement and we observe women

Number of Instructors of Literacy Movement Org, by Gender (1981-2009)

Source: Literacy Movement Organization

that today, the majority of females who are old enough, have access to education, which indicates that the Islamic Republic of Iran is eradicated illiteracy. Such a huge progress is the outcome of providing education for the entire rural and urban areas, as well as the unprivileged areas of the country. It is also due to determination, and social and cultural maturity of the people. In this regard, we should not disregard the important role of the Public Literacy Movement Organization, which was a revolutionary movement and highly recommended by Imam Khomeini. Besides, based on the census made 2009-2010, girls consisted 62.31 percent of pre-university students.

The rate has increased above 126 percent within these three decades,

’s remarkable participation in this comprehensive and developed movement through these years.

Year	Female	Male	Percent of F
1981	27202	11336	70.6
1986	24432	13242	64.8
1996	41432	13696	75.2
1997	41513	13410	75.6
1998	30521	11494	72.6
1999	36929	12599	74.6
2000	29365	8085	78.4
2001	24040	6738	78.1
2002	24574	6344	79.5
2003	31593	6605	82.7
2004	37836	6830	84.71
2005	40170	7235	84.74
2006	41876	7553	87.72
2007	43230	7912	85.52
2008	40834	6862	85.61
2009	37272	6793	84.58	15.42

Furthermore, the number of women working in the educational system was 423447 in 2009-2010, which consisted 52.23 percent of the total number of staff of the system. The rate has increased over 218 percent compared with the last 30 years

Number of Educational Staff, by Gender (1956-2009)

Source: Ministry of Education