Misogynous law bans ski head coach from leaving with her team.
Iranian women face a male labor market that poses many legal and structural barriers to their employment. The regime’s policy is to marginalize women.
But even those women who have jobs are restricted by misogynous laws which put men first and allow the husband to prevent his wife from doing her job.
One recent example was the case of Samira Zargari, the head coach of the national Alpine skiing team, who was banned from leaving the country due to her husband’s objection.
She could not go to Italy with her team for the competition. A source in the Ski Federation said that the efforts of the federation officials to lift the exit ban and to send her to the Italian competitions did not succeed. (The state-run Sharq newspaper – February 17, 2021)
According to Article 1117 of the mullahs’ Civil Code, a husband can forbid his wife from a profession or industry that is contrary to the interests of the family or the dignity of the man or woman.
Paragraph 3 of Article 18 of the Passport Law also explicitly conditions the issuance of passports for married women to the written consent of the husband. But before marriage, the exit permit for the woman is given to the father or paternal grandfather.
This is not the first time a woman or a female athlete cannot do her job because of the objection of her husband.
In September 2014, Niloufar Ardalan, captain of women’s national futsal team, could not participate in the Asian competitions due to her husband’s complaint.
In 2017, Zahra Nemati, an archer and champion of two rounds of para-Olympics, was banned from leaving the country upon her husband’s complaint.
On October 9, 2017, Tayyebeh Siavoshi, then a member of the mullahs’ parliament, said eight women who were members of national teams could not participate in international tournaments because of their husbands.
In October 2021, with the ruling of the Tehran Court of Appeals, a female emergency physician was banned from practicing medicine due to her husband’s complaint. The doctor examined 180 to 200 patients daily for Covid-19. (The state-run Akhbar Fori website- October 12, 2020)
This came as Covid deaths among doctors and nurses has brought double pressure on the medical community and the people of Iran who were already suffering from shortage of doctors and nurses.
Also, according to a new directive this year, married women who want to take the dental residency exam are required to obtain their husbands’ consent. Execution of this commitment is mandatory and the text has been entered in the test.
According to this commitment, the husband agrees to allow his wife to serve after the end of the training period in any place designated by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. (The state-run Etemad newspaper – May 11, 2020)
