The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and Women’s Political Participation in Iran (2015-2021)
Abstract
This study investigated the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and women’s political participation in Iran (2015-2021). The study also examined the level of participation of women in the socio-political development of Iran, the impact of women’s empowerment on the socio-political development of Iran, and the opportunities, barriers and perspectives of socio-political participation of women in Iran. It found in this study that the following barriers militating against Iranian women’s participation in the Socio-political and sustainable development of Iran:
Women are underrepresented in several significant and productive societal professions, and their influence on management and political decision-making is confined to non-productive and unproductive areas. Ignoring women’s issues and attributing them to family values, which many women rely on when making political decisions. – Women vote for parties and people who have positions on topics like pay and wages, implementing kindergarten in the workplace, providing recreation opportunities for kids, reducing working hours, etc. The structure of Iran’s society plays important role in the sociopolitical participation of women. – Economic neglect leads to political and social neglect. Poverty excludes women from society and drives them to the margin. High levels of illiteracy, poor hygiene, starvation, etc. that impoverished women experience are variables that have a negative impact on their participation in processes. Several authorities utilise the excuse of lack of experience and expertise when they select women as prominent administrators. Uncertainty about women’s life goals and their significance was caused by mental and tactical conflicts between social facts, ideal facts, and utopia. – Women’s social involvement is sometimes equated with the topic of women’s employment. Even though women work in governmental and nongovernmental organisations, they are not participating in team or group projects because they lack management insight and the ability to think strategically.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Our world is marked by notable contrasts and complexities. Individuals who live in wealthy nations may not be aware of this, but gender discrimination, extreme poverty, and bad living conditions are widespread worldwide. According to a study done by VeneKlasen & Valerie (2021), the rich, famous, and successful make up one aspect of the globe, while poverty, hunger, unemployment, and other grave problems make up the other extreme. We examine how people’s lives are intertwined with processes of development, drawing on grounded research from a variety of situations. culture and inequality from micro to macro levels. Placing people’s everyday lives at the centre brings the question of poverty, inequality and difference sharply into focus. Such an approach reveals the multidimensional nature of poverty and the way this is linked to axes of social differences and inequality, including gender, age, disability, ill health, sexuality, race and ethnicity among other factors. The concept of intersectionality, which emerged from feminist engagement with questions of difference, is particularly useful in exploring the ways that a range of markers of social differences intersect and interact throughout the life course (White, 2020).
Various sectors of the economy and discuss how each sector can be made more environmentally and socially sound, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
Eliminating gender inequality will need one of history’s largest movements for change because it is one of the most pervasive and pervasive types of injustice. Elsewhere in the world, discrimination and violence against women and girls still exist. Every industry has gender equality issues. In South Asia, only 74 girls out of every 100 boys were enrolled in primary education in 1990. The enrollment ratios were the same in 2012, though (Women and the Sustainable Development Goals, 2018). There is at least one law that restricts women’s access to the workforce in 155 nations. In most nations, women only make between 60% and 75% of what males do in terms of income. Women make up just 22.8% of all national lawmakers. One in three women endures physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lives (SDG-5).
In Iran, the trend of incorporating women’s affairs in economic, social, cultural, and political development plans shows an upward trend from the first development plan after the victory of the Islamic Revolution to the present time(Amin, 2020). Article 158 of the Third Development plan was the first initiative for the streamlining of women’s empowerment approaches in the major plans. The most important points of the Article 158 of the Third Development plan are 1) the Identification of the educational and sports needs of women based on Islamic principles and the promotion of their role in the future development of the country, 2) Promoting women’s job opportunities, 3) Facilitating women’s access to legal and juridical affairs, and 4) Supporting, launching, and establishment of women’s non-governmental organizations with emphasis on support for the women who are heads of family as well as women who are lacking legal protection in the less developed regions of the country. Attempts have also been made to streamline and institutionalize women’s empowerment approaches throughout the Fourth Development Plan (2005 – 2009), which is binding on all governmental organizations, and with the earnestness of the civil society institutions, are followed seriously (World Bank, 2019).
Attention must be paid to the goal of eliminating illiteracy among women in developing efforts. Equal access to education for women and girls has been guaranteed in the Iranian laws as a right for all its citizens (Article 3, 2018). Literacy rates for both sexes had an increasing trend over the years from 1991 to 2010 in Iran. According to the World Bank report, the female adults’ literacy rate (ages 15 and older) in the country was 77 percent compared with 87 percent in the case of males in 2008 (World Bank, 2019).
According to the global gender gap report 2012, the educational attainment score of Iran was 0.953. In this score, the gender gap in current access to education has been captured through the female-to-male ratio in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Iran has shown no gap in primary and tertiary levels (World Economic Forum, 2020). Progress has been made in pursuit of educating girls, yet more progress is needed to obtain the said objective. However, in terms of enhancing life for women and children in the developing world, a better understanding of how women could have access to literacy training that creates significant benefits for them is vital. There are two stages in this process. The first stage entails focusing on the link between literacy and prospective labour market outcomes relating to women, while the second requires research into successful programs and schemes and understanding how they can be applied in different situations (Gallaway & Bernasek, 2018).
The economic prosperity and family well-being of women depend on their pay. Yet barriers include restricted access to school and occupational training, overwhelming domestic obligations, unpaid domestic and market activities, and labour market discrimination frequently pose challenges for women. These barriers prevent women from participating in as many paid economic activities as they would like, and even when they do, they make them less productive and willing to accept lesser income. When women are employed, they are more likely to work in non-agricultural industries (World Bank, 2019).
Statement of the Research Problem
Despite having social awareness, knowledge, and abilities, women don’t have a significant part in the country’s management. According to statistics released by the United Nations Organization in 2008, the percentage of Iranian women in management and law has been reported to be 16%, whereas the Philippines, Angola, the Caiman Islands, and Mongolia have the greatest shares at 58%, 52%, 51%, and 50%, respectively. As of July 2018, just five of the 12 nations being analysed had a higher percentage of women in management and law than Iran, which was ranked 101 overall. The largest percentage has come from Scandinavia. Pakistan (3%), Qatar (5%), Oman and Saudi Arabia (9%) and the United Arab Emirates (8%) have the lowest percentages (WHO, 2019). In this way, Iran’s standing is equivalent to that of the lowest-ranking nation, even though its scientific, specialised, and technological knowledge is superior to that of these nations in terms of both quality and quantity of major-class graduates and status.
Despite their social and personal skills, Iranian women were unable to reach significant levels of political management in society. To hold senior administrative and political positions, women have historically encountered social, political, legal, customary, and cultural impediments. For instance, despite women’s rising awareness, specialisation, and level of education, Tehran’s assembly only had 4.59% female members in the first round and 3.26% in the second. This low number appears to be a result of societal shortcomings and a lack of Persians (Mojahedi m 2018). Despite having the ability to vote and run for office, few people accept women to run social affairs. Due to this, this study looked into Iran’s women’s political engagement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (2015-2021).
Objective of the Study
The main objective of this study is to investigate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and women’s political participation in Iran (2015-2021). Specific objectives of this study include to:
- Investigate the level of participation of women in the socio-political development of Iran.
- Examine the impact of women’s empowerment on the socio-political development of Iran.
- Assess the opportunities, barriers and perspectives of socio-political participation of women in Iran.
Research Questions
The following research questions were investigated in this study:
- What is the level of participation of women in the socio-political development of Iran?
- What is the impact of women’s empowerment on the socio-political development of Iran?
- What arethe opportunities, barriers and perspectives of socio-political participation of women in Iran?
Significance of the Study
Students and academics in the faculty of social sciences as well as those working in sectors relevant to diplomacy and international affairs should take note of this study. Their prior knowledge will be greatly increased by the material studied in this study. Also, the study’s conclusions and suggestions will act as a roadmap for putting policies and programmes targeted at including women in a nation’s sociopolitical and sustainable development. The results of this study will give the United Nations Organization (UNO) guidance for implementing sustainable development strategies concerning Iranian women.
Scope of the Study
This investigation focused on Iranian women’s political involvement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (2015-2021). The study also examines how much Iranian women participate in the country’s sociopolitical evolution, the effect of women’s empowerment on that development, as well as the opportunities, challenges, and perspectives associated with women’s participation in Iranian politics.
Limitations of the Study
This study was limited by several issues. A significant obstacle that contributed to determining the study’s scope was the absence of recent literature on the topic of this research, both online and offline. The amount of time allotted for this research’s completion had a big impact on both its quantity and quality.
Definition of Terms
Empowerment: the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their authority.
Public Participation: different mechanisms for the public to express opinions—and ideally exert influence—regarding political, economic, management or other social decisions.
Political sociology: concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis.
Politics: the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.
Sustainable Development Goals: a collection of seventeen interlinked objectives designed to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future”.
Women’s empowerment: accepting women’s viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training.
REFRENCES
- World Bank.(2019). The Status & Progress of Women in the Middle East & North Africa. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMENA/Resources/MENA_Gender_Compendium-2019-1.pdf
- World Economic Forum(2020). Geneva: World Economic Forum; 2012. [Retrieved March 27, 2019]. The global gender gap report. from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2019.pdf .
- World Health Organization. ( 2018). Geneva: WHO. [Retrieved February 11, 2017]. Reproductive health strategy to accelerate progress towards the attainment of international development goals and targets. from http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/general/RHR_04_8/en/index.html .
- Worldwide guide to women in leadership. (2019). [Retrieved February 10, 2014]. from http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/.
- Zohreh G., B., Hossein Z. & Mohammad A. (2017), talk over governments after Islamic Revolution Islamic Revolution Documents Centre, P121-110.
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