The state-run ILNA news agency reported on the economic crisis facing workers, stating that the situation is even more severe for female workers, particularly mothers who are the sole providers for their households. These women are burdened with mandatory overtime, extremely low wages, and a lack of basic legal protections.
ILNA, which is affiliated with the government-backed “Workers’ House,” quoted Simin Yaghoubian, a labor activist for female workers, as saying, “These days, female workers are not doing well at all.”
Yaghoubian stressed that female breadwinners are torn between worrying about basic survival and securing shelter or providing new clothes and shoes for their children ahead of the Persian New Year.
According to this labor activist, beyond the “termite of inflation,” wage suppression, and financial difficulties ahead of the New Year, mandatory overtime—despite being in violation of Article 59 of Iran’s Labor Law—also severely affects women. She stated that this is where women “experience the true taste of exploitation.”
She also highlighted the “lack of awareness” among female workers regarding their rights and labor laws, addressing the Minister of Labor and stating that employed women are exhausted by these injustices and discrimination.
Yaghoubian noted that government officials are unaware that more than half of the employed women in small workshops are deprived of all wage benefits, including food allowances, housing benefits, overtime pay, and weekend work compensation. Without support, they struggle with financial hardship, enduring immense suffering.
Statistical analyses indicate that women face discrimination in employment as well. The latest report from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the economic participation rate of women in the spring of 2024 reached only 14.3%. Furthermore, an examination of unemployment rates across different age groups reveals that women over 30 generally experience lower unemployment rates compared to younger women.
Limited Access to Job Opportunities: The First Barrier Women Face in Iran’s Job Market
Limited access to job opportunities is the first major barrier that women face when entering the job market in Iran. Most women in the country are forced to choose between work and family, as workplace policies offer little support for balancing the two.
Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime, stated on May 1, 2013: “The most important role that a woman can play—at any level of knowledge, education, research, or spirituality—is her role as a mother and a wife. This is more important than all other work she may do. This is a role that no one else but a woman can fulfill.”
The situation for male workers is not much better. Economic pressures have led a group of labor inspectors in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, to criticize low wages and harsh working conditions, expressing concern over the departure of skilled workers from the profession.
The state-run ILNA news agency quoted these inspectors as saying that labor shortages could worsen workplace safety conditions and lead to an increase in work-related accidents.
ILNA emphasized that there are approximately 830 labor inspectors in the country, more than 300 of whom are considering leaving the profession.
