power and identity in Iran :

-          Politics: Women make under 5% of elected officials in Iran. The world average is 17.4%. (3)

-          Education: Women make up 40-59% of all students in Iran.

-          95% of girls are enrolled in primary school as of 2005. (3), (pgs. 81, 83). 

-          Sports: Women make up under 10% of national athletic team members of Iran. (3) (pg. 51).

-          Birthrights: Abortion is illegal or severely restricted only to save a woman’s life (as of 2007). (3) (pg. 39). 

-          Household: Average number of people per household (as of 2006): 4-4.9 people. (3) (pg. 23).

-          Murder: Honor killings regularly occur (regarding murders of women by intimate partners) according to data compiled from 2000-2006. (3) (pg. 31).

-          Homosexuality: Homosexuality is criminalized in national law and people who violate it are subject to the death penalty (as of 2007). (3) (pg. 27).

-          Feminisms: In 2002, Parliament approved a bill granting women the right to seek a divorce in court – a right which women have not had since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The Guardian Council is likely to block passage of the bill into law, but parliamentary approval sets an important precedent. (3) (pg. 105). 

-          Marriage: Average age of women at first marriage (as of 2003): 20.1-23 years old. (3) (pg. 25).

 ~interested about queer activism in Iran? Here are some links: 

 http://www.arshamparsi.net/index2.html

 https://twitter.com/IranLGBT

~~~~~~~~Citations:~~~~~~~~

3. Seager, Joni. The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World. 4th ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2009.

Print.

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