Iran's female editors rise to the top despite challenges
Despite a growth of female journalists in Iranian media, they still face various barriers and limits.
In spite of government pressure on Iranian journalists and women, the number of women serving on the editorial boards of Iranian newspapers has increased in recent years. However, discrimination against women by their male colleagues is still a serious issue.
No precise statistics are available on Iranian journalists in general, let alone female journalists. According to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, as of March 2010, Iran had a total of 8,044 journalists, 3,455 (42%) of whom were women.
The number of female journalists in Iran has increased significantly over the past two decades. A 1992 survey found that among Iran's 2,145 journalists, 278 (13%) were women.
Some journalists even told Al-Monitor that women make up more than half of the editorial boards of pro-reform newspapers. An editorial board member of Iran's most prominent pro-reform newspaper told Al-Monitor, "I think 60 to 70% of journalists working in pro-reform newspapers are women."
