The noble and universal message to humanity that echoed in the wide desert of Arabia from the divine revelation in the midst of the darkness that engulfed the world is. “Whoever works with righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward according to their actions. (Qur'an 16:97, see also 4:124).  

    Muhammad (P.B.U.H) in regard and respect for woman said the following:

    Whosoever has a daughter and he does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not favor his son over her, God will enter him into Paradise. (Ibn Hanbal, No. 1957).

    He also said the right of females to seek knowledge is not different from that of males.

    According to Islamic Law, woman's right to her money, real estate, or other properties is fully acknowledged. This right undergoes no change whether she is single or married.

   Women’s empowerment includes promoting women as leaders in their communities and families.

    The advancement of women in Iran has been considerable in recent years.  

    It is worthy to note that in Islamic Republic of Iran  women reached the current status of achievement due to the exclamation of technological change using innovative strategies to promote their self-esteem and contribution of work for the society in a time when the  society needed their services badly.

    Official statistics show the rate of female economic activity to be 14.3%.

    Women empowerment began in country with the Third Development Plan, which is an on going process .The incorporation of the country has encouraged women to achieve their real deserving status congruent with their human dignity and prestige.

    Some of the most important government measures regarding the objectives of the Millennium Development Plan are:

Women’s Empowerment in Education.

    Ministry of Education is in charge of educating children and the youth and providing training to human force, which is a vital importance for the society

     The most recent statistic show that in 2004 & 2005 around fifteen million students enrolled at different rates in Iranian school

     The ratio of girl’s students in the primary schools, high schools and university academic program shows a considerable growth, i.e. from 79.2% in 1990 to 93.1% in 2002.

The literacy rate of woman population is:-

The ratio of literate woman to the literate men aged between 15 & 25 years shows a growth of 9.1% between 1990 & 2002.

Measures taken for the promotion and development of education in Iran were:-

·       Establishment of distance learning,

·       Promotion of education for nomads,

·       Promotion of public education in rural areas,

·       Increasing the number of high schools in rural areas,

·       Holding Pre-Primary courses with two languages,

·       Promotion of education for mentally and physically retarded students,

·       Identification and attending to especially talented students,

·       Participation in the World Olympiad competitions in various fields to select and educate future scientists,

·       Promotion of different sports programs in schools and other   educational centers,

·       Establishment of Center for Women Affairs with a purpose to look into the educational needs of the young female students,

·       Creation of information website www.etwomen.org,

·       Paying special attention to justice-based education,

·       Creating equal opportunities for boys and girls to enjoy educational benefits,

·       Promotion of participation in scientific fields at international level

·       Establishment of the secretariat of ISESCO in Tehran,

·       Participation in the international peace and understanding training courses

Measures taken by the Iranian higher education system are

                        Establishment of doctorate levels in the Iranian universities.

                        Establishment of consultations with scientific institutions of other countries to promote relations and scientific communications at international level

                        To grant 6month sabbaticals out of the country for the Iranian students studying in the Iranian universities

(So far 813 Iranian students have been sent out of the country at doctorate level)

·       Admitting 300 Iranian athletes in Iranian universities

·       Receiving 37world medals and 85 international medals in different sports fields for students

·       Participation of 52universities with 100000 students at different sports Olympiads

·       Conducting various scientific seminars and conferences

·       Embarking on scientific and research cooperation between Iranian universities and seminaries

·       Increasing students periodicals by 2400 titles

·       Exchange of students and professors on international universities forum

·       Exchange of training and educational forces at international level.

The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an objective:-

                        to prepare a Scientific ground to promote knowledge, application and reasoning,

                        to promote Scientific Polars to bridge the scientific gap with developed countries,

                        to promote dynamic economic status relied on knowledge and Technology

is in charge of the education in the post Pre-University courses.

        The Statistics released by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the year 2004 shows an enrollment of 2117471 students in govt. and private higher education institutions and universities. Out of which 

Number of students at different levels:-

Total number of students with respect to their academic fields

The total no of scientific boards in Iranian universities and higher educational institutions is 42404.

No of other training and educating staff (including instructors’ associate professors and professors) are 47105

Women Economic Empowerment:-

Empowering women economically will ensure the realization of their potentials, increase participation at various levels of life as decision makers, Stake holders, entrepreneurs, educationists, scientists and active employers of their own rights.

The share of the waged woman employed in non- agricultural sector show a slow growth:-

   The reason for the decline is the increase in the number of job seeking educated women.

   The major policy in the third National Plan was:-

   ·       To increase employment opportunities there by reducing national unemployment rate

   ·       To improve women’s economic activity

   ·       To promote training and skill workshops to emphasize equitable investments in the higher education sectors

   ·       Adopt fair gender-balanced development policies

   ·       Develop their small handicraft productions

   ·       Provide facilities for women from the Labour Opportunities Support Fund by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security

   ·       Increase credit funds for women’s employment

   ·       Establishing women export committee

  Some other issues related to women envisaged by the same law are:

  ·       Paying subsidies to banks to pay low-interest loans to the women heads of households

  ·       Ensuring equal access to education, especially for girls by the government.  

  ·       Qualitative & quantitative promotion of public education.

  ·       Obligating the executive organizations to assign special budget to the on-going training courses for their employees.

  ·        To stipulate a budget for the development of social & cultural participation of women.

   ·       Allocation of such budget to the national & provincial organizations to expend for the said purposes. 

    A new clause was incorporated into the article 158 of the budget law {no.B, clause 7} to develop cultural and social participation of women that came into effect in 2003. This was to remove the executive bottle necks in the way of implementation of the said article 158.

 Political empowerment:-

    State policies and planning for women empowerment in political development plan of the country shows an upward growth from the first development plan after the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran till date. 

    There are twelve women representatives in the parliament.

    The number of women representatives in political fields increased from 2% in the Third parliament {1988-1992} to 5% in the Sixth parliament {2000-2004}.

    There are 7276 elected women constituting 2.2% of the candidates in the local council elections.

   Women constitute 11% of the total number of the Local Council Members.

     The most important points of the Article 158 of the Third Development Plan-the first initiative to stream line women’s empowerment in politics are:-

               Identifications of the educational and sports needs of women on the basis of Islamic principles

                        Promotion of women’s role in the country’s future development programmes.

                        Promotion of job opportunities to the women.

                        Felicitation of women’s access to legal & juridical affairs.

                        Supporting the formation of women non-governmental organization

                        Providing legal protection to women heads of family in the less developed regions or the country.

                        Implementation of  Article 17 of the Fourth Development plan (2005-2009) to streamline & institutionalize the women’s empowerment

                        Revision of rules & regulations particularly the civil code

                        Strengthening of women’s skills concomitant with the requirements of the society.

                        Submission of bill on protection of women to eliminate any violence against them.

                        Creation of women’s organizations & civil society institutions.

Social & Cultural Empowerment Of Women.

       To institutionalize Women’s empowerment approach an Office of Women’s Affairs was set up in the President’s office, in 1991, on a presidential decree. It was changed into the Center for Women’s Participation which is now known as the CENTER FOR WOMEN AND FAMILY AFFAIRS with a reason and mission to pay more attention to the institution of family and consolidate its pillar to strengthen the role of women within the frame work of the family.

      Few other cases of institutionalized mechanisms in all state organizations in this regard are:

   ·       The Social, Cultural Council of Women(Affiliated to the High Council of Cultural Revolution)

   ·       Women’s  and Youth Special Committee(Affiliated to the State Expediency Council)

   ·       Women Fraction(in the parliament).

   ·       Women And Youth Working Groups(High Council Of Planning And Development of the province)

   ·       Offices of the Women’s Affairs at the State Departments(at most of the executive organizations)

   ·       Office for  the protection of Women and Children Rights(Judiciary)

   ·       Commission on the support of Children and Women’s Rights{Centre for Strategic Studies, Affiliated to the Judiciary}

   ·       And other offices affiliated to the ministries

   The gender main streaming in the national development planning system has led to a remarkable change in raising the issues of women in the country’s budget system for developing women’s social and cultural participation. As a result a growth rate of 360% of credits for women’s affairs was seen in the Iranian Government’s budget system.

   Few of the measures taken for women’s welfare affairs are:-

 ·       Encouraging and contributing to the quantitative and qualitative expansion of active NGO’s in women’s affairs which have accounted for the increase of such organizations to as many as eight times.

     ·       Membership of the Director of the Centre for Women and Family in the Cabinet and Specialized Commissions of High Councils of decision makings have made possible to raise the issues at high levels of decision making.

     ·       Promotion of national machinery for the advancement for more efficient working condition.

     ·       Establishing committees on women’s affairs in all provinces. There are 540 positions assigned to women for decision making at regional and local levels.

     ·       253% of women cooperatives have increased from 1997-2002 that led to cultural empowerment.

     ·       Appointment of two women in the Cabinet- one women as deputy to the President and as the head of the Environment Protection Department.

     ·       Increase in literacy in rate of woman which has reached 74.66% by the end of 2002.

     ·       Appointment of woman as advisers to the president and governors in the field of woman welfare, politics and media.

     ·       Establishment of national committee for the elimination of violence against woman.

     ·       To formulate national plan of action for preventing, combating, protecting & eliminating violence against woman.

     ·       Establishment of special Woman Police Centers (W.P.C) comprising of female personal in police stations.

Women’s Role-A Globally Recognized Fact :THE ISLAMIC TRUTH

     With regard to the woman’s right to seek employment it should be stated that Islam regards her role in society as a mother and a wife as the most sacred and essential responsibility.

     It cannot be regarded as idealness nor can a mother’s place as the educator for an upright, complex free and carefully reared child be replaced either by maids or by baby-sitters.

     Such is the noble and a vital role of a woman, specially the mother’s for which a bill to extend the mother’s custody of children regardless of the child’s sex up to the age of 7 has been approved by the Expediency Council in The Islamic Republic Of Iran.

     To conclude the social, cultural, educational, political & economic participation of woman has changed the country and made the nation to advance in all fields with time and technology.

     The true essence of Islamic nation in the Islamic Republic of Iran and its religious democracy has promoted the complete public participation, co-operation, supervision and judgment of action plan.

     It’s worth mentioning the 3 facts to conclude on woman employment and their affect.

              Woman in Islam has great achievements in all work of life from as early as the 7^th century B.C. which Iran proudly holds the reigns of the Islamic rule to promote its country for true and total development.

               There is no mention of any mistreatment of woman by any decree of rule embodied in the Islamic law nor could anyone dare to cancel, reduce or distort the clear-cut legal rights of woman given in Islamic law.

               The reputation, chastity, dedication & maternal role of Muslim woman are the objects of admiration till date even by the impartial observers through out the world.

                                                                               Thank you,                            

                                                                                Samina Yasmeen