Beyond glass ceiling, Iranian women face iron fence

A correspondent in Tehran

Sep 22, 2015

Iranian teachers protest in front of the parliament building in Tehran March 8, 2007. Iranian police clashed on Thursday with scores of rights activists who gathered in front of parliament to celebrate International Women's Day, one of the activists said. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN) - RTR1N8EO — Iranian teachers protest in front of the parliament building in Tehran, March 8, 2007. — REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian authorities have moved to introduce gender quotas that shut out women in its exams for those seeking government and public sector jobs. Coupled with reports of high rates of unemployment among women, this has sparked serious doubts about the administration of President Hassan Rouhani’s approach toward increasing women’s presence in society.

The Ministry of Education held its nationwide exam for new job applicants on Sept. 18, with 178,000 people participating. The exact date for the announcement of the results is unclear. But what is clear is that no matter what score female applicants may obtain, they will make up only 10% of those who will be employed.