5 ms·

I was in Iran last year so let's give some perspective why this metric alone is useless: 1. Before university boys and girls learn in separate schools. 2. Aft

I was in Iran last year so let's give some perspective why this metric alone is useless: 1. Before university boys and girls learn in separate schools. 2. After university women have almost zero chances for career. It is more probably that they will end up being house wives. I doubt that this has changed in a year. I have not checked my facts - that's impression from speaking with open minded Iranian families (and we have met various families). Basically, university is one of the rare chances for women in Iran not to marry their cousin.

tracer4201 7y ago
One step at a time. Substantial cultural or institutional change doesn’t happen in a year or even five years. Anecdotally, the time lines are 20-30 years, if not more. Some countries move faster than others. I don’t think this metric is useless. No one is saying Iran is the bastion of women’s rights. But - More women achieving higher education is a good thing. The younger generations are certainly far more progressive from the anecdotes I’ve heard from Iranian friends.
- daliusd 7y ago
  That's absolutely the case - but it depends on city. While we were in Iran we have met some very religious people. But we have met people with whom we could talk even about homosexuals' situation in Iran.
skrebbel 7y ago
I was born in 1983 in the Netherlands. My mom, and all my friends' moms, were housewives. About half of these moms were university educated or comparably. All their daughters now have proper jobs. Sounds like Iran is roughly in the same place now, which I assume is a big improvement over some decades ago. Just give it another generation. Anecdotally, I've tought some CS classes at the local university, to a highly mixed crowd. The Iranian students, every year, were somehow all female, and they were invariably among the top of their class. I'm going to be very surprised if these particular women turn out to become housewives.
- daliusd 7y ago
  I hope you are right as that would transform Iran completely (in positive way).
- Moru 7y ago
  You can't compare Iran to Netherlands 30+ years ago...
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- aikah 7y ago
  > Just give it another generation. There is a pretty clear difference between Netherlands and Iran. The former isn't a dictatorship nor a theocracy.
- oytis 7y ago
  I think it's one of the problems with people from the West reasoning about authoritarian countries. You try to evaluate countries that are like 30-100 years behind by the metrics that are relevant for the Western world _today_ (like gender gap, etc.). The problem with Iran, in the first place is that it is an authoritarian theocracy with no freedom of speech, assembly and association, freedom of religion, right to fair trial, etc. I believe it's quite unreasonable to talk about gender equality, LGBT right and so forth until these are fixed.
  - daliusd 7y ago
    However even authoritarian regimes are different. E.g. Stalin's Soviet Russia is quite different from post-Stalin Soviet Russia while both are authoritarian regimes. I don't want to live in either but if I had to choose from the two that's definitely not under Stalin's sun. Based on what people talk in Iran authoritarian regime is much more relaxed now. The only reason why we don't see revolution in Iran yet is that they still remember the last one. They expect to get normal government somehow without revolution but I doubt that they will succeed with that.
Joakal 7y ago
Almost zero chances? They can't do freelancer or similar? Oh right, the USA's sanctions.
timeu 7y ago
Sorry but your second point does not correct. I have relatives in Iran (all my female relatives have finished university in Iran and work). Last time I visted my cousin (this is alreay some years ago) he showed me around the company he works for (IT company) and half of the software engineers there were women.
shademaan 7y ago
Most of this is an outright fabrication. Marry their cousin????

tracer4201 7y ago

One step at a time. Substantial cultural or institutional change doesn’t happen in a year or even five years. Anecdotally, the time lines are 20-30 years, if not more. Some countries move faster than others. I don’t think this metric is useless. No one is saying Iran is the bastion of women’s rights. But - More women achieving higher education is a good thing. The younger generations are certainly far more progressive from the anecdotes I’ve heard from Iranian friends.

daliusd 7y ago
That's absolutely the case - but it depends on city. While we were in Iran we have met some very religious people. But we have met people with whom we could talk even about homosexuals' situation in Iran.

skrebbel 7y ago

I was born in 1983 in the Netherlands. My mom, and all my friends' moms, were housewives. About half of these moms were university educated or comparably. All their daughters now have proper jobs. Sounds like Iran is roughly in the same place now, which I assume is a big improvement over some decades ago. Just give it another generation. Anecdotally, I've tought some CS classes at the local university, to a highly mixed crowd. The Iranian students, every year, were somehow all female, and they were invariably among the top of their class. I'm going to be very surprised if these particular women turn out to become housewives.

daliusd 7y ago
I hope you are right as that would transform Iran completely (in positive way).
Moru 7y ago
You can't compare Iran to Netherlands 30+ years ago...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
aikah 7y ago
> Just give it another generation. There is a pretty clear difference between Netherlands and Iran. The former isn't a dictatorship nor a theocracy.
oytis 7y ago
I think it's one of the problems with people from the West reasoning about authoritarian countries. You try to evaluate countries that are like 30-100 years behind by the metrics that are relevant for the Western world _today_ (like gender gap, etc.). The problem with Iran, in the first place is that it is an authoritarian theocracy with no freedom of speech, assembly and association, freedom of religion, right to fair trial, etc. I believe it's quite unreasonable to talk about gender equality, LGBT right and so forth until these are fixed.
- daliusd 7y ago
  However even authoritarian regimes are different. E.g. Stalin's Soviet Russia is quite different from post-Stalin Soviet Russia while both are authoritarian regimes. I don't want to live in either but if I had to choose from the two that's definitely not under Stalin's sun. Based on what people talk in Iran authoritarian regime is much more relaxed now. The only reason why we don't see revolution in Iran yet is that they still remember the last one. They expect to get normal government somehow without revolution but I doubt that they will succeed with that.

Joakal 7y ago

Almost zero chances? They can't do freelancer or similar? Oh right, the USA's sanctions.

timeu 7y ago

Sorry but your second point does not correct. I have relatives in Iran (all my female relatives have finished university in Iran and work). Last time I visted my cousin (this is alreay some years ago) he showed me around the company he works for (IT company) and half of the software engineers there were women.

shademaan 7y ago

Most of this is an outright fabrication. Marry their cousin????