TEHRAN – An exhibition of Iranian women’s achievements entitled “Iranian Women, Unwritten Stories” began on Monday at Iranian Innovation Technology (IHIT) in Tehran.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Women and Family Vice President Zahra Behrouz-Azar highlighted the current administration’s decision to empower women while elaborating on the achievements they have acquired, Dolat.ir reported.
Referring to the national policy document highlighting women’s support, authorities said the country is taking steps to improve women’s status along the international community.
The average life expectancy for women reached 78 years. Approximately 95% of births are supervised by experts, leading to a decrease in maternal mortality. Female doctors also account for 40% of experts in the country and 30% of experts, Behrouz-Azar noted.
With the gender gap in education falling to 3%, Iran is one of the most successful countries in developing educational equity. The women hold 56% of public universities enrollment and study in 784 technical and engineering majors. They make up 40% and 30% of faculty in medicine and other universities, respectively.
In the socio-cultural sector, there are currently 23,543 female authors, 1,051 publishers, 435 printing company managers, and more than 181,000 women with book publishing licenses operating nationwide.
She added that 2,336 female media managers and 20,762 female publishers play an important role in raising awareness and achieving social justice.
In the economic sector, women account for 315% of experts in the information, communications, technology sector and entrepreneurship. So far, they have established 12,000 companies. The staff continues, saying that 250 knowledge-based companies are run by women and 41,330 female managers run by the companies.
Behrouz-Azar said more than 8,000 women across the country were appointed to managerial positions from 2017 to 2024, highlighting the increased political contributions of women. Additionally, more than 190 women have been appointed to various managerial positions since the current administration took office in the summer.
Emphasizing women’s achievements in sports, she has demonstrated a prominent position in the country by winning around 935,000 professional female athletes, 1,000 trainers, 150,000 coaches, 16,111 sports clubs and 2,950 medals at world championships and managing 51 sports coalitions.
Furthermore, thanks to a 22% increase in women’s participation in the Paralympic Games, the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Iran (IPC members) was awarded for outstanding work and received the International Women’s Day Recognition Award from the International Paralympic Committee.
Referring to the administration’s programme to support female household heads, Behrouz-Azar said many national programs are being implemented to support women, including developing women’s cooperatives, implementing entrepreneurship programs, access to loans, promoting access to loans, social insurance coverage, and allocating land to women’s organizations.
The role of women in national progress
On National Women’s Day, December 22nd, Iranian officials highlighted the important role of women in shaping the country’s progress and called for unwavering protection of human rights.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other important figures, reaffirmed his commitment to gender equality, justice and women’s empowerment, both in domestic policy and international diplomacy.
Officials also said violations of human rights must be addressed through dialogue, legal action or other appropriate measures, regardless of who commits them or their position.
Speaking to the audience, Pezeschkian reaffirmed women’s equality and praised the possibility of leading and excel. He called for more opportunities for women and girls to participate in the development of the country, and emphasized that their contributions are essential to a fair society.
“Women are not only comparable to men, but often superior in many areas,” he said. “The advantage lies not in gender, but in honor,” he emphasized the role of mothers in shaping future generations, and that the nation cannot flourish without the support of competent and dedicated women.
Conclusion of his speech, Pezeschkian called for a major inclusion in the role of women’s leadership and a new commitment to addressing the challenges of the country. “Women have a unique ability to nurture and shape the next generation,” he said. “This must be recognized as the basis for national progress.”
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