Cultural and Social Barriers to Iranian Women’s Employment

Abstract

Inequality between men and women in their access to opportunities and assets exists all over the world. No country has yet managed to eliminate the gender gap, in spite of international awareness of gender issues. The condition is much worse in developing countries. Unequal social structures and cultural norms result in women’s and men’s unequal status in the society. The present paper reviews cultural and social barriers faced by Iranian working women, in the society and at the workplace. The study covers the major sectors of industry having notable number of working women. Behavior of family members and society towards working women, their access to jobs, authority assigned to them, promotional avenues open to them, and their confidence on their capabilities were assessed. The study has revealed that social and cultural barriers prevent men from accepting the capabilities of women. The number of Iranian women who have been admitted to universities has risen dramatically. They have confidence, aspiration and desire to accept more responsible jobs. However, these developments do not necessarily lead to better employment opportunities. An attempt was made to suggest some solutions to the problems faced by working women.