Iranian Women’s Expanding Role in Education, Health, and Innovation

Speaking at a national ceremony honoring women and mothers, Zahra Behrouz-Azar stated that women account for more than 60 percent of new university entrants in Iran, making them the majority force in higher education. She added that women also form over 70 percent of the country’s healthcare workforce and represent more than 40 percent of personnel in the education sector.

Turning to innovation and research, Behrouz-Azar noted that women were involved in 24 percent of registered inventions in Iran, a figure significantly higher than the global average, which ranges between 14 and 17 percent. She said the data points to the substantial capacity of Iranian women to contribute to problem-solving and national development wherever opportunities are available.

She emphasized that women’s engagement is not limited to academia or science, adding that they have played pivotal roles throughout Iran’s modern history — including during periods of war, reconstruction, and more recent national challenges — often taking on responsibilities equal to men in social and professional life.

Behrouz-Azar described the annual celebration of Women’s and Mothers’ Week as an opportunity to recognize all Iranian women, both inside the country and across the global diaspora, rather than focusing solely on those working within government institutions.

She explained that this year, official guidelines instruct government agencies to adopt a more inclusive approach toward representing women from diverse social and professional backgrounds.

On the broader issue of social cohesion, the vice president underscored the importance of inclusivity, stating that meaningful national unity could only be achieved when the voices of all citizens are heard and when no woman feels marginalized or excluded from social participation.

She concluded by acknowledging the structural challenges that women continue to face and reaffirmed that, under the country’s national development framework, government policy is focused on identifying barriers and expanding equal pathways for women’s advancement across all fields, with an emphasis on direct consultation and participation by women themselves.