A side event, “The Experience of Iranian Women in Confronting Institutionalized Misogyny,” was organized by the Association of Iranian Women in France (AFIF) on the sidelines of the 69th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), on March 17, 2025.
Chaired by AFIF President Simin Noori, the event focused on the status of Iranian women thirty years after the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, examining the deeply rooted misogyny within the ruling regime in Iran and how Iranian women have resisted oppression and injustice.
Participants explored various aspects of gender-based repression under the clerical regime and highlighted the courage and resilience of Iranian women in their ongoing struggle.
Ms. Elham Zanjani, representing the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was among the speakers at this conference.
The text of her speech follows.
30 Years After Beijing: Iranian Women Still Deprived of Basic Rights
We gather today at the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women to assess global progress and challenges facing women. As we mark 30 years since the Beijing Declaration, we must confront the harsh reality that millions of women in Iran continue to endure systemic discrimination, violence, and economic hardship under an oppressive clerical regime.
Distorted Data, Hidden Truths: Women in the Shadows of Statistics
In our capacity at the NCRI Women’s Committee, we have prepared a key document for the Beijing +30 and CSW69 sessions, contrasting the Iranian regime’s hollow rhetoric and manipulated statistics with the reality women face. While other governments submit reports to CSW69, the Iranian regime’s claims about progress, especially regarding women’s rights, are false. The facts we present expose the stark discrepancies between the regime’s narrative and the lived reality of Iranian women.
The Iranian regime is not only uninterested in advancing global ideals but also represents a feudal, medieval system incompatible with modern civilization and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The document we present here offers a glimpse into the lives of Iranian women under the regime, but does not capture the full extent of their suffering.
The Iranian government has stopped publishing crucial data, such as the number of single mothers or the rate of child marriages. For instance, reports on child marriages were officially banned from publication recently (Deutsche Welle Persian, September 10, 2024).
Poverty, Unemployment, and Discrimination: The Unequal Share of Women in Iran’s Economy
While the international community strives to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes empowering women and girls, Iran is experiencing deepening inequality and rising poverty among women.
Of the 27.6 million women of working age in Iran (ages 15 to 64), only 3.9 million are employed (IRNA, April 11, 2020). This means 23.7 million working-age women are jobless. In a country where 80% of the population lives below the poverty line, women bear the brunt of deprivation and lack of social support.
The regime often claims that the Welfare Organization supports Iranian women, but of the approximately 6 million female-headed households, many of which are poor, only 287,000 households receive assistance. The extent of this assistance is exceedingly limited.
The lack of transparency and manipulation of statistics are consistent features of the regime. Iran lacks an effective system for gathering or categorizing data by gender, and the available statistics are either scarce, incomplete, or outdated.
The regime also publishes reports on social issues in Western countries to downplay Iran’s problems, offering no corresponding data on Iran. Unfortunately, these unverified figures are used by international organizations such as the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations, exacerbating the misinformation.
Unpunished Violence, Child Marriage, and Systemic Repression
For example, the regime never provides figures on illegal marriages involving girls under 13, instead reporting on those under 14 or 15, thus obscuring critical data and making it impossible to track trends.
On violence against women, the regime downplays the severity of the situation by reporting on similar issues in Europe and the U.S. without offering any data on Iran’s situation.
Regarding education, the regime claims progress in reducing the education gap in primary and secondary schooling, but the necessary infrastructure and quality improvements have not been made. A report from the Ministry of Education’s Center for Educational Assessment revealed disappointing results in the TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) exam, where Iran ranked 52nd out of 58 countries (Baharnews, September 4, 2024; Etemad newspaper, April 30, 2023).
One of the most enduring forms of gender discrimination is women’s limited participation in political and managerial roles. This exclusion prevents women from influencing decisions about their futures and entrenches misogyny in governance.
Over the past 45 years, only two women have served as ministers, and less than 6% of parliamentary representatives have been women; all of them were women loyal to the frameworks of this regime and defenders of its misogynistic laws.
The Iranian theocratic dictatorship has maintained its grip on power through brutal oppression, with women bearing the brunt of its patriarchal rule. Iranian law enshrines men as heads of households, restricts women’s freedom of movement, and permits child marriage from the age of 13, and effectively from as early as 9 years. Violence against women is widespread and often unpunished, as women are treated as property rather than individuals with rights.
Silent Resistance Behind Bars: Political Prisoners Who Refuse Surrender
Despite relentless oppression, Iranian women have shown extraordinary resilience and courage. The 2022 nationwide uprising, led by women, shook the regime to its core. Women led the protests, demanding freedom, dignity, and the regime’s overthrow, even as they faced severe repression, mass detentions, and executions.
Women political prisoners in Iran endure horrific conditions. Yet, they continue to resist — organizing hunger strikes, sending messages to the outside world, and standing firm in the face of torture or execution for demanding basic human rights. Their defiance is part of a 46-year-long struggle against the religious regime, a fight in which women have consistently been at the forefront.
From Protest Lines to Leadership: Women at the Heart of Iran’s Resistance
Iranian women have a long history of resistance, from their pivotal role in the fight against the Shah to their leadership in the resistance units against the mullahs. Women occupy critical leadership positions in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), where they have been central to the struggle for democracy and freedom.
A Vision for the Future: Gender Equality in a Free Iran
Under Maryam Rajavi’s leadership, Iranian women have assumed greater responsibilities in the Resistance. Her Ten-Point Plan for a Free Iran highlights gender equality, the separation of religion and state, and the abolition of discriminatory laws against women. Her leadership has inspired thousands of women to join the fight for justice, often at great personal risk.
Despite the regime’s brutal efforts to silence them, the Iranian women’s resistance movement has flourished. Guided by the rallying cry “Women – Resistance – Freedom,” Iranian women have led the fight against this medieval regime. Their struggle has been long, bloody, and complex, with tens of thousands martyred and hundreds of thousands imprisoned and tortured. Over the past 40 years, Iranian women have been at the helm of the resistance, inspiring millions.
The world witnessed the power and courage of this movement during the uprisings of 2019 and 2022, when women stood at the forefront of protests and ignited widespread social momentum. They have shown the world they will play a decisive role in overthrowing the regime and bringing about a new democratic republic. A liberated Iran will be a beacon of gender equality, justice, and freedom.
The Iranian regime must no longer be granted legitimacy in international forums advocating for gender equality. The international community must reject appeasement and hold the Iranian regime accountable for its crimes against the Iranian people, especially the heroic women of Iran. It must recognize the leadership of Iranian women in the Iranian Resistance Movement and actively support Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for a free Iran.
