Iranian activists say celebrating Women's Day is 'not enough'
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has appointed women to his cabinet, but his administration must do a lot more to address discrimination against women in Iran.
For the first time in five years, a permit had been issued in Tehran allowing people to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. Women's rights activists want to use this opportunity to celebrate this day and bring forth their demands in public.
In recent months, two women were chosen as governors and one woman was elected as mayor of a city in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan. There has also been news about Elaheh Koulaei and the possibility of her becoming the next chancellor of Tehran University. Prior to the elections, President Hassan Rouhani promised to create equal opportunities for women and men in the workplace and in managerial positions. He said, “Discrimination against women is unacceptable to us. Gender cannot be a suitable criteria for assigning responsibility. Women should be equally involved in decision-making.” He asked for health insurance to be extended to cover those women who are sole guardians of their families, and he had also opposed the proposal to introduce gender segregation in universities.
