The Status of Women in Iran

Introduction

According to UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities), despite many

international agreements affirming their human rights, women are still much more likely than

men to be poor and illiterate.[1] This statement illustrates that gender equality is a global

issue which needs addressing urgently.

Iran, ranking among the top five with regards to the number of laws that go against

womens developments, is still struggling to eliminate gender inequality. Since the Iranian

Revolution in 1979, the government established various policies to empower women, which

dramatically changed womens status. This report mainly focuses on the transformation of

Iranian womens status from three aspects: access to education, health and longevity rates,

and political participation.

Access to Education

The majority of women had access to higher education within 20 years after 1979,

dominating college entrance examinations. Today over 60% of undergraduates in Iranian

universities are women, performing better in tests than men.[2]

These transformations drew great attentions from all sectors of society, concerning about

the decrease of birth rate and marriage rate.[3] Under the circumstances, Iran's Ministry of

Science, Research and Technology issued a statement in August 2012 that 77 learning fields

of women curriculum would be reduced in 36 Iranian universities and become male-specific

fields, which severely restricted womens investment in the public sphere.[4] In 2015, a report

pointed out that there were 14 proposals which aimed to realize gender equality in educational
sphere that had not been attained by the Rouhani government yet. [5]

Health and longevity rates

Over the past three decades, Iran, developing rapidly in terms of society, economy and

culture, has also improved the health conditions of Iranian women both physically and

mentally. According to a 2016 report, Iranian womens expected life has increased from

around 45 years in 1960 to over 75 years in 2012.[6] In 2011, the years of life lost and the year

lived with disability declined obviously compared to 2003. Nonetheless, in regards to

psychiatric disorders, depression went up to the top in 2011, along with higher crime rate than

men.

These phenomena indicate that social barriers to womens health, which are caused by

gender inequality, the burden of responsibility, and financial difficulty, still persist in many

aspects, referring to the mental and social health problems of Iranian women.[6][7]

Political participation

In order to promote political development and improve women and childrens life quality,

the involvement of women in politics is valued in modern Iranian society. Although men are

in majority of Iranian policymakers, the government has tried to advance the presence of

women in the political stage. Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of the Revolution in 1979, had

upheld womens political rights as a religious duty: Women have the rights to intervene in

politics. In Iran, everything, every prayer, is political.[8]

Between 2004 and 2008, womens presence in parliament reduced from 14 to 8 while

they tended to be more succussful in provincial politics.[8] Recently, with the government of

Present Ahmadinejad, the previous policy of improving the political status of Iranian women
has converted into stressing the family role of women.

Conclusion

After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, higher status of women can be achieved in

education, economics, politics and many other areas. The ranks of university education have

expanded widely among women. So has health care and political participation. However, to

balance the social division of labor between men and women, the current government

reformulated some policies that obstruct the implementation of gender equality. In the

foreseeable future, Iranian women will be more brave and conscious to safeguard their legal

rights and struggle against those inequitable policies.

Works Cited

[1] Gender Equality. (June 14, 2015). United Nations Population Fund.

[2] Goli M. Rezai-Rashti (November 17, 2014). The politics of gender segregation and

womens access to higher education in the Islamic Republic of Iran: the interplay of

repression and resistance. Gender and Education.

[3] Tait Robert (August 20, 2012). Anger as Iran Bans Women from Universities. The

Telegraph.

[4] Staff writer (August 21, 2012). Male-order Education: Iran Bars Women from 77

University Courses. Russia Today.

[5] Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic

of Iran. (May 19, 2016). Retrieved from www.un.org.

[6] Hassan, J. Najmeh, M., Kamran, B. I., Alireza, R., & Maryam, A. (16 February 2016).
 Narrative Review of Womens Health in Iran: Challenges and Successes. International

Journal for Equity in Health.

[7] Womens Health Bridges and Barriers: A Qualitative Study. (2013). Health Care for

Women Interntional, 34:193-208.

[8] Heshmat Sadat. (2011, 3). Participation of Women in Irans Policy. GEMC journal.

Assignment 2:

Sentences with Errors Description of Error/ Explanation and Correction

Correction Symbol Remarks
Iran, ranking the top five transitive verbs vs. The word rank is Iran, ranking among the
with regards to the number intransitive verbs intransitive here. top five with regards to the
of laws that go against number of laws that go
womens development, is against womens
still struggling to eliminate development, is still
gender inequality. struggling to eliminate
gender inequality.

This report mainly singular nouns vs. plural The word rate is a This report mainly
illustrates the nouns countable noun. illustrates the
transformation of Iranian transformation of Iranian
womens status from three womens status from three
aspects: womens access aspects: womens access to
to education, health and education, health and
longevity rate and political longevity rates and
participation. political participation.

Today over 60% of inaccurate word choice The word more is not Today over 60% of
undergraduates in Iranian and collocation use with excellently. undergraduates in Iranian
universities are women, universities are women,
performing much more performing better in test
excellently in test than than men.
men.

Over the past three wrong word form to express a place or a area Over the past three
decades, Iran, developing should use in + noun decades, Iran, developing
rapidly in social, economic rather than in + adjective rapidly in society,
and cultural, has also economy and culture, has
improved the health also improved the health
conditions of Iranian conditions of Iranian
women both physically women both physically
and mentally. and mentally.
In 2015, a report pointed sentence structure mistake: There should be In 2015, a report pointed
out that there were 14 run on punctuations between out that there were 14
proposals aimed to realize independent clauses. proposals that aimed to
gender equality in realize gender equality in
education sphere. education sphere.

These phenomena indicate missing articles Here the word burden These phenomena indicate
that social barriers to has a particular attribute. that social barriers to
womens health, which are womens health, which are
caused by gender caused by gender
inequality, burden of inequality, the burden of
responsibility and responsibility and financial
financial difficulty. difficulty.

In 2015, a report pointed wrong tense The clause should be past In 2015, a report pointed
out that there were 14 perfect tense rather than out that there were 14
proposals that aimed to present perfect tense. proposals that aimed to
realize gender equality in realize gender equality in
educational sphere have educational sphere had not
not been attained by the been attained by the
Rouhani government yet. Rouhani government yet.

Target Grammar Application Sheet (TGAS)

Filling out this sheet will help make visible your application of the target grammar for this
assignment. For each item, write three examples from your paper that show how you applied
the target grammar. Include this sheet with your final draft.

Assignment name: Short Report

Target Grammar: Using academic language, old-new information flow, verbs that indicate
change

Examples Explanation/ details

Using Academic Language
This report mainly focuses on the
transformation of Iranian womens status from
three aspects: access to education, health and
longevity rates and political participation.
Avoid inappropriate use of I.
Use this report as the subject to make the
writing more formal.

This statement illustrates that gender equality is Use formal verbs like illustrate instead of
a global issue which needs addressing urgently. phrasal verbs.
After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, higher Use achieve rather than get to avoid
status of women can be achieved in education, common words that carry little meaning.
economics, politics and many other areas.

old-new information flow

This statement illustrates that gender equality is repeated terms:
a global issue which needs addressing urgently. gender equality/inequality
Iran, ranking as the top five with regards to the to transit the topic of gender equality from
number of laws that go against womens global issue to Iran
developments, is still struggling to eliminate
gender inequality.

The majority of women had access to higher repeated terms:

education within 20 years after 1979, women
dominating college entrance examinations. college/university
Today over 60% of undergraduates in Iranian test/examination
universities are women, performing better in to transit statistics from 1979 to today
tests than men.

In order to promote political development and repeated terms:

improve women and childrens life quality, the political
involvement of women in politics is valued in involvement/presence
modern Iranian society. Although men are in to transit the context about womens
majority of Iranian policymakers, the political participation from general to
government has tried to advance the presence of specific
women in the political stage.

language to indicate change (from EOAW

chapter 2 or 3)
According to a 2016 report, Iranian womens use increase to indicate the change of
expected life has increased from around 45 Iranian womens expected life from 1960
years in 1960 to over 75 years in 2012. to 2012

In 2011, the years of life lost and the year lived use decline to indicate the change of
with disability declined obviously compared to YLL and YLD from 2003 to 2011
2003.

Between 2004 and 2008, womens presence in use reduce to illustrate the change of
parliament reduced from 14 to 8 while they womens presence from 2004 to 2008
tended to be more succussful in provincial
politics.