According to the government-controlled “Iran’s Statistical Centre”, in autumn 2012, the economic participation rate (the percentage of the active population, unemployed or employed, at working-age) in the total population from age 10 and older was 37.5%. The index calculated 61.3% among men and 13.7% among women participating in the economy.
This figure reveals the tragic reality of women’s marginalization in economic life of the country. Women in Iran face institutional biases of a social order based on Gender- Apartheid. In such circumstances finding jobs for women are very difficult, and even when they have a job they are not treated equally. Women in Islamic Regime are under quadripartite pressure, economically, culturally, socially and politically.
According to the same report, the unemployment rate for women is twice as high as that for men. While the male unemployment rate to date, in May 2013, is 14.2%, the female unemployment rate is 26.8%. This is based on the official evaluation of employment which defines that if someone works even only for an hour per week is considered as “employed.” Rate of employment in the public sector is 47.5%; in large-scale industry sectors 33.6%; and agriculture at 18.9%.
The IRI’s pro-business and anti-worker policies as well as broad economic sanctions of Western powers have brought Iranian working class to their knees; employers are closing factories and not paying wages for months at a time, as the raw materials for industrial production become too expensive. The employers claim they can’t afford to pay workers’ wages and can’t continue with production line; therefore workers are sacked without any previous notice or payments.