TEHRAN – The 21st exhibition on women and national production is scheduled to kick off in Tehran’s Goftegoo park on September 11 and conclude on September 20.

Like previous editions of the event, more than 3,000 female heads of household will showcase and sell their products including clothing and handicrafts directly to customers attending the exhibition, Mehr news agency reported. 

On the sidelines of the 21st edition, several other programs such as sustainable  employment working group, supportive counseling services working group, and health working group will be held.

Establishing sales markets across the country are among  empowerment programs for women heads of households which will led to the self-sufficiency of many Iranian women.

Over 126,000 women heads of household become self-sufficient

The empowerment programs of the late President Raisi’s administration resulted in the self-sufficiency of more than 126,000 women heads of household.

Female entrepreneurs have expanded business, resulting in the creation of sustainable employment for women, as well as the support for job-creating skills, IRNA quoted Ensieh Khazali, the then vice president for women and family affairs, as saying.

The empowerment programs covered women with abusive husbands, women breadwinners, single girls aged over 45, women suffering from social harm, and women who are heads of household.

Also, the national sustainable family-oriented business plan, with the assistance of women entrepreneurs managed to empower women seeking employment.

In this project, women entrepreneurs support the employment of women for four years from the raw material preparation stage to the end product sales stage to ensure their sustainable employment.

In addition, the late president’s administration for the first time established an entrepreneurship fund for supporting women heads of household.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in February 1979 by toppling the Pahlavi regime [the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979], women were given equal rights to shape their futures.

The status of women in various fields was improved after the Islamic Revolution and women, as half of the country’s population, have been leading in many fields.

The Islamic Revolution provided them a chance to build their distinct identity and they have been tremendously successful in doing that. 

There were extensive changes in the fields of science, education, economy, employment, and presence in management positions for women. Now a large part of activists in various fields of academia, business, and management are made up of capable Iranian women.

Education as a social value for women is seen as real freedom for them. Illiteracy among women and girls has been nearly eradicated as the literacy rate reached 99.3 percent and the ratio of female to male students has increased by 28 percent.

According to the latest data, nearly 60 percent of all university students are females today. The percentage of women in higher education has increased nearly 21 times since the Revolution.

The notable presence of women in the education sector has had a remarkable impact on the job market of the country as well, with women taking more jobs in both the public and private sectors.