The World Economic Forum’s annual report, titled “Global Gender Gap 2026,” paints a shocking picture of the critical condition facing women in Iran under the mullahs’ regime. According to this official report, as reflected in state-run media, Iran ranks 144th among 145 countries with an overall score of 0.585, standing just above Chad at the very bottom of the table.
These documented figures reveal that the deepening gender gap under the clergy’s rule has prevented women from securing an equitable share in the economy, management, and decision-making, despite achieving high levels of education.
According to the data, Iran’s educational attainment parity index stands at 98.4%, yet the parity score for female labor force participation is registered at a mere 20.9%, and for managerial and legislative positions at 25.5%.
This vast disconnect demonstrates that the regime exploits female human capital merely as cheap labor, while erecting iron curtains around the distribution of income and wealth.
Analyses indicate that the estimated earned income parity score for women relative to men has plummeted over the past two decades from 28.5% in 2006 to 16.3% in 2026, a decline of 12.2 percentage points.
These documented numbers bear witness to the fact that the regime treats women’s human capital like an underutilized oil field, extracting its resources without returning any benefit to its rightful owners.
In the realm of political empowerment, the dimensions of the gender gap run even deeper; the Iranian regime holds 139th place globally with a parity score of 0.046.
Women occupy just 5.2% of parliamentary seats and 12% of ministerial positions, with zero instances of a woman holding a top leadership position in the regime’s structure over the past half-century. Furthermore, access to justice is evaluated under “restricted rights,” and freedom of movement under “unequal rights.”
In health and survival, although the overall parity score is reported at 96.1%, the healthy life expectancy index for women has experienced a drop of 5.5 percentage points compared to two decades ago, with the maternal mortality rate standing at 16 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The persistence of these discriminatory policies by the regime continues to drive the nation’s human capital toward depletion and emigration.
