“Even if we have 1000 women in the parliament, but their outlook does not provide for women’s interests, their absence is better than their presence,” declared Shahindokhot Molaverdi, presidential deputy in Women and Family Affairs.
In an interview with IRNA, Molaverdi criticized the conduct of former female Majlis deputies who could not realize women’s expectations. She said, “They could not take advantage of the capacity they were granted in the parliament.”
She also pointed to her directorate’s differences with female Majlis deputies on setting quotas for women’s election to parliament and said, “3% participation of women in parliament is not suitable for the Islamic Republic, not in comparison with European countries, but with Islamic countries and countries in the region.”
She pointed out that there are 25-35% women’s participation in the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament and 27% in the Afghan parliament.
