Marking International Labor Day by Examining Challenges Faced by Women Workers in Iran
Examining Challenges Faced by Women Workers in Iran
May 1st is a recognized public holiday in numerous countries worldwide, commemorating the struggles and sacrifices of workers and laborers.
Traditionally, this day is marked with demonstrations where workers voice their concerns about working and living conditions through slogans. Unfortunately, under the clerical regime in Iran, May 1st is not an official holiday, and the regime suppresses any demonstrations or protests. In fact, the clerical regime’s policies have intensified poverty, especially for women workers in Iran.
During its 44-year reign, the mullahs’ regime in Iran has implemented various anti-worker policies that have worsened workers’ living standards. These policies include dismissing official workers, promoting temporary and white-signed contracts, laying off the labor force in factories and workshops, and suspending production. However, the situation is even more dire for women workers in Iran. (The state-run akhbar-rooz.com, April 25, 2023)
According to Ali Hossein Ra’eyati-Fard, the Deputy of Labor Relations of the Ministry of Cooperation, Labor, and Social Welfare, there are 15 million workers in Iran. (The state-run bayanfarda.ir, May 6, 2022)
Sadly, the Iranian regime ranks fifth from the bottom among 190 countries in terms of laws relating to women’s businesses, according to the latest annual report by the World Bank titled “Women, Business, and the Law.”
The report assigns a score of zero to the Iranian regime regarding three indicators related to women: laws restricting travel freedom, laws restricting the choice of workplace, and legal restrictions on marriage. The report also shows that the Iranian regime has only earned two points in improving laws relating to the women’s business environment since 1970, making it one of the worst countries regarding wages and other laws governing the work environment.
The clerical regime has consistently ranked low regarding women’s presence in the labor market and income share among developing countries.
Wages of Workers in 2023
Workers in Iran are struggling with absolute poverty due to government policies on increasing wages that have led to their impoverishment.
Despite a Central Bank announcement of a 67% inflation rate in March, workers’ wages have only increased by 27%, reaching 5,380,000 tomans. This wage increase is insufficient as the poverty line in cities is currently between 17 to 20 million tomans and 12 million tomans in rural areas. (The state-run etemadonline.ir, April 1, 2023)
Accidents and Injuries Faced by Women Workers in Iran
Women workers in Iran face various physical, mental, and sexual injuries in their workplaces. These injuries range from chemical and hormonal pollutants in pharmaceutical companies to auditory and brain injuries in small manufacturing workshops. The lack of safety and protective equipment, long work hours, and low wages exacerbate these problems.
There have many incidents when women have lost their lives in accidents and on their way to work because of using worn-out vehicles for transportation.
Marzieh Taherian died while working with a ring-spinning machine in a textile factory when the machine pulled in her head. Another female worker, 40, lost her life when dragged into a confectionary machine.
Or three women working in a brick kiln in Vayqan, East Azerbaijan, were severely injured and burned due to an explosion in a small work room. (The state-run fararu.com, August 30, 2017)
Often, these workers do not have insurance, transportation, or food and earn less than 3 million tomans. There is no systematic monitoring of these workshops. Since the contracts of these workers are often not documented, they are not entitled to any rights, making it challenging to pursue legal action against employers. (The state-run fararu.ir, January 11, 2023)
Some experts have described the intolerable conditions of female workers in production units as “new slavery.” Low wages and lack of job safety are among the problems women workers in Iran face.
Women workers in Iran are the first to be laid off
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the official unemployment rate for women in 2020 was about nine times higher than that of men, with more than one million women losing their jobs.
Additionally, a regime’s High Labor Council member stated that most of the six million underground workers who lost their jobs were women who worked without insurance and earned less than two million tomans. (The state-run rokna.net, August 1, 2021)
The latest reports from Iran’s National Statistical Center (NSC) reveal that the number of employed women in fall 2021 was approximately 3.5 million. This figure indicates that service jobs, where women are predominantly active, were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, women in industrial units are often subject to layoffs by their employers, with the added disadvantage of being deprived of overtime and job promotion benefits. (The state-run namehnews.com, May 1, 2022)
Women’s employment in Iran comes with high risks, particularly their involvement in high-risk and informal sector jobs. A report titled “Detailed Results of Employment in the Formal and Informal Sectors in 2019-2020,” published by the NSC, sheds light on the informal sector jobs in the country. The report shows 2.739 million women were engaged in informal sector jobs in 2020. (The state-run Fararu.com, September 29, 2022)
It is important to note that many Iranian women work as unpaid laborers in farms, carpet workshops, and handicrafts, and their statistics are not accounted for in the labor market.
Women Heads of Households
Ali Aslani, a member of the board of directors of the Labor Council, revealed that women who are heads of households were the most affected group of unemployed workers who didn’t receive unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government didn’t recognize all unemployed individuals as eligible for receiving unemployment insurance, and during this period, women heads of households suffered the most. (The state-run rokna.net, August 1, 2021)
In late 2021, it was announced that working women wouldn’t receive maternity or family allowance and holiday bonus payments. Although reportedly 13 agencies are responsible for the affairs of women heads of households in Iran, many of these women have been left without any support.
According to the head of the women’s faction in parliament, the budget for women heads of households and disadvantaged girls has been entirely removed from next year’s budget bill. This will put enormous pressure on workers and daily wage earners.
Ensieh KhazAli, Women and Family Affairs director stated, “Unofficial statistics show that we have close to 6 million women heads of households.”
It’s worth mentioning that even women heads of households who haven’t lost their jobs are struggling to make ends meet, with skyrocketing prices making it challenging to live on a minimum wage of 2-3 million tomans, especially with housing expenses and dependent children.
Women heads of households are currently aged 35 to 64, with half over 65 years old and in the bottom three income deciles. Half a million of these women are under 20 years old.
The Dark Side of Work
Zahra Karimi, an economist, highlighted in an interview with Shargh newspaper that the most vulnerable women workers in Iran are those living in low-income neighborhoods, often working in manual and service jobs and lacking basic literacy skills.
Massoumeh Javadi, the head of the Women’s Councils, also spoke to Shargh, noting that women in the labor market are typically considered second-class citizens and are compelled to work for lower wages and fewer benefits. (The state-run namehnews.com, May 1, 2022)
Simultaneously, housework is expected to be a woman’s responsibility, leading them to work extended hours outside and inside the home. These circumstances exert double pressure on working women, especially female workers.
Fatemeh Azizkhani, an economic researcher, revealed that small businesses create 65% of job opportunities in Iran, with around 70% of these workers being women.
Under the clerical regime’s rule in Iran, employers greatly benefit from the hidden exploitation of female workers. In some factories, women work for more than 12 hours a day, but their wages are only 60% of what men earn. (The state-run fararu.com, January 10, 2023)
According to a report by the Center for Advanced Research of the Social Security Organization, 80% of employed women in the industry and service sectors work without insurance. The lack of insurance, low income, receiving checks and promissory notes from employers, and non-standard working hours are the primary issues faced by women in the informal economy. (The state-run etemadonline.com, October 31, 2022)
In the regime’s economic crisis, unemployed women often resort to fake jobs, such as selling goods in the metro and on sidewalks.
Street vending women
Street vending is one of the many consequences of Iran’s widespread unemployment and poverty crisis. According to the International Labor Organization, the coronavirus outbreak exacerbated the situation, resulting in millions of people, especially women and young people, losing their jobs.
Unfortunately, no statistics are available on female street vendors in Iran, meaning the poverty crisis’s dimensions and problems remain largely unreported.
Many women street vendors lack support from institutions, making their already difficult situation even more challenging. For example:
Naseri, a 29-year-old woman from Ahvaz, has supported her two children, aged 10 and 4, through street vending for several years. Her husband is in prison, and after the coronavirus outbreak caused the street vending market to slow down, she can barely afford the rent of a small room for 450,000 tomans. Often, they go without lunch or dinner. Naseri and her son sieve through the garbage at night to find something to eat.
Sharifeh, another street vendor in Ahvaz, sells vegetables and has become the sole breadwinner for her family of four due to her husband’s unemployment.
Hanieh, a 23-year-old woman, sells items in the Tehran metro with her 3-year-old child but worries about her child’s health as she cannot leave her child alone.
Maryam used to work in a production workshop but became a street vendor after leaving due to the owner’s abusive behavior. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t find another job due to her age. She says that even city officials harass and disrupt women street vendors, providing no assistance or support, unlike their male counterparts.
Another street vendor woman mentions that her husband is a retired army colonel, but their family expenses exceed his small pension. Her husband’s age prevents him from finding work, and she has no choice but to become a street vendor. (The state-run eghtesadonline.com, April 14, 2021)
Women working in Mines
Currently, 1,246 women are employed in the mining sector in Iran, with most working in mines that extract stone, sand, gravel, and iron ore. A total of 107,000 people are active in the mining sector in the provinces of Kerman, Razavi Khorasan, and Isfahan. (Farayand Aria Company website, February 2023)
Women working in brick kilns
Women working in brick kilns face numerous hardships, particularly those who live near the kilns. These areas typically lack access to basic amenities such as water, electricity, gas, kitchens, and bathrooms, and around 10 to 15 households often live near each kiln.
Unfortunately, due to the decline in the brick market, many kilns have become inactive, leaving many brick kiln workers without jobs.
Brick kilns around Tehran, Farrokhshahr, Khatoon Abad, and Esmaeil Abad districts are primarily closed, making life even more challenging for these women. For example, all 153 households living around the brick kilns in District 19 have become unemployed. (The state-run hamshahrionline.ir, January 11, 2022)
Gholamreza Abbasi, the executive director of the Association of Workers’ Trade Unions in Tehran Province, commented about brick kiln workers, stating that wages were collectively contracted until 2016, and the wages of brick kiln workers were determined under the supervision of the Labor Department. However, since 2016, the Ministry of Labor has not signed collective contracts with brick kiln workers, leading to a lack of insurance, health, safety, and other legal benefits. This has endangered the lives of all brick kiln workers, and Abbasi admitted that the Ministry of Labor is responsible for the situation. (The state-run Mehr news agency, September 20, 2021)
Families in Pakdasht who have moved to the city for better work and income also face difficulties. They work up to 17 hours daily as a family, but their monthly income is less than 2 million Tomans (less than $100). They lack insurance and fear being fired if they ask the labor council members for help to obtain insurance. (The state-run qudsonline.ir, July 25, 2021)
The clerical regime has implemented policies that discriminate against women workers in Iran, making it difficult for them to secure jobs and maintain their positions. As long as this regime is in power, women workers in Iran will continue to face significant challenges and difficulties in their daily lives, impacting their well-being and that of their families and communities.
