TEHRAN – One of the most important achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran is providing women with an opportunity to be able to shine in various political, social, cultural, and sports fields by relying on their abilities.

Throughout history and among all societies and nations, the issue of women has been one of the challenging and disputed issues between rulers on the one hand and civil institutions and activists on the other hand.

Obviously, Iran was not exempt from this viewpoint throughout history. The presence of women in demonstrations, in the years and months leading to the victory of the Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini [Founder of the Islamic Republic], showed the world that Iranian women are looking for a decent place as human beings.

With the change of attitude towards women during the Islamic Revolution, women were able to gain a strong presence in the social and political arenas.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Constitution of the Islamic Republic largely considered equal opportunities for women and men to play a role in the high responsibilities of the country, and conditions were also created for women to prove their presence in various fields, especially in the political field.

In the Constitution of Iran, not only no discrimination is considered due to gender, but the social dignity of women is also protected, and legal ways are provided for women's participation in all social scenes, which is a sign of the positive attitude of the leaders of the Islamic Revolution towards women's issues.

After the Revolution, women assumed many executive responsibilities. The presence of women in the Islamic Consultative Assembly and Islamic city and village councils shows their special position in the Islamic Republic. This is despite the fact that women had the lowest position in the administration of the country during the Pahlavi era. With 27.1% female ministers in government Iran was among the first 23 countries in the early 2000s that had the highest number of female ministers, and also 2.8–4.9% of Iranian parliamentarians in the past 15 years have also been female.

By 1999, Iran had 140 female publishers, enough to hold an exhibition of books and magazines published by women. As of 2005, 65 percent of Iran's university students and 43 percent of its salaried workers were women. As of early 2007, nearly 70 percent of Iran's science and engineering students are women. Currently, 60% of the student population, which is about 2 million girls, studies in higher education centers.
The presence of women in social activities increased day by day. After the Islamic Revolution, women established many institutions with cultural-educational, entrepreneurial, charitable, and even research approaches.

Women also make up parts of the Iranian police who deal with crimes committed by women and children. According to the opinion of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, providing opportunities to develop woman's talents in the family and society is respecting the woman.

“Respecting women means giving them the opportunity to develop, at different levels… Respecting women means allowing them to develop these talents inside the family, in society, and in international arenas.” (October 20, 2009)

With the victory of the Islamic Revolution, sports in the country, especially women's sports, underwent many changes. The increase in infrastructure and sports facilities, even in the most remote areas of the country, created positive conditions for participation in sports in general. 

The active presence of women in all fields has been achieved while they wore a hijab (veil), which shows that the hijab is not only a deterrent for women but also provides the basis for their active and constructive presence as much as possible.

A look at the numerous books and articles published in Iran, which are written by women in various fields of science, history, literature, politics, and art, indicates the high status of women. The presence of Iranian women in the fields of medicine, technology, and sports is also very impressive. The statistics related to the successful presence of women in Iran after the victory of the Islamic Revolution in various social, scientific, political, economic, and sports fields show the positive and impressive role of women in society.

Ayatollah Khamenei in one of his speeches pointed to the progress of Iranian women after the Revolution, saying, “Today, when we take a look, we see that the name of our women has been written on many books including scientific, research-based, historical, literature, political and artistic books. The writings of our women - whether articles or books - are among the best writings in the Islamic Republic today. This is really a source of honor and it is unprecedented in our history.” (April 19, 2014)

Today, there is no prohibition for Iranian women to be present in different parts of society. While in some other countries, women have not yet reached some of their most trivial rights, Iranian women easily enjoy rights such as the right to vote in elections, hold government jobs, and even hold management positions.

According to a UNESCO world survey, at the primary level of enrollment, Iran has the highest female-to-male ratio in the world among sovereign nations, with a girl-to-boy ratio of 1.22: 1.00. According to UNESCO data from 2012, Iran has more female students in engineering fields than any other country in the world.

“In my opinion, the main issue - or let us say, one of the main issues - is the issue of home and family. The basis of the issue is women's security and opportunities in the family environment and their home-making is for cultivating their talents. Nothing should prevent them from studying, reading, learning, and writing. Of course, this is related to those women who are interested in such things. The ground should be prepared for them to carry out these tasks,” the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said. (April 19, 2014)