“28 million Iranian women are economically inactive”
An infographic by the Tehran Chamber of Commerce on the employment status of Iranian women in 2018 shows that only 1.16 percent of those of working age are economically active, and the share of women who work full-time is 1.3 million.
The Economic Surveys Department of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce has published a chart showing the employment status of Iranian women in 2018, reporting that 28 million women are economically inactive. This chart is based on a population of 40 million 200 thousand women and a figure of 33.3 million women of working age. Of this number, 5 million 400 thousand are economically active, while the rest, three-quarters of whom are housewives, are classified as inactive.
The Tehran Chamber of Commerce's Economic Studies Department says that 20 percent of economically inactive women are studying, another 20 percent have income without work, and 1 percent are retired.
Creating jobs for youth and women was a central issue in the 12th presidential campaign. A few months ago, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the deputy minister for women and family affairs in Rouhani’s government, called for strengthening and expanding women’s entrepreneurship associations, emphasizing that unemployment among female graduates is two to three times higher.
Iran is at the bottom of the gender gap index, ahead of only three countries. Two years ago, Human Rights Watch announced, based on detailed research, that the average female employment rate in North African and Middle Eastern countries is 20 percent, but the share of women in the Iranian labor market is about 15 percent.
Parvaneh Salahshouri, head of the women's faction in the parliament, said in the fall of 2017 that women should not be left out of the employment crisis management. She added that the faction is seeking a 50 percent share of women in employment and employment.
At the “Women, Economy, Employment and Development” conference in Arak in the summer of 2018, the economic participation rate of women in the Markazi province was announced at 6 to 7 percent and 12 percent nationwide. Among other things, it was stated at the conference that only 109 of the 1,200 business cards issued in the Markazi province were owned by women.
The Tehran Chamber of Commerce's Economic Affairs Office's infographic considers housewives to be among the economically inactive population, but many housewives or those who are deprived of employment and recruitment in the labor market contribute to the household economy through self-employment. Preparing food and sweets for ceremonies or selling pastes, pickles, and jams are among the most common home jobs for women in Iran. A group is also engaged in various branches of handicrafts, painting, sewing, or online business at home.
It also seems that the Tehran Chamber of Commerce did not include women from the northern region of Iran and other women who are the mainstay of farming and working in the fields in its infographic because they are not employed anywhere and do not have an employer.
Source: DW
