Catherwood LibraryILR School

With political reforms opening the door to the slow liberalization of Iran, many women have entered the workforce only to find themselves working longer and harder for less recognition than their male coworkers, as men and even women hold onto the view that women are less capable and belong in the home. This has led many working Iranian women to become entrepreneurs in a country where private business has been frowned upon since the 1979 Islamic Revolution brought to power a government that still maintains direct control over seventy-five percent of the national economy. Despite the generally higher levels of education among Iranian women than Iranian men, however, many of Iran's female entrepreneurs have run into the same discrimination from fellow business owners, potential clients and industry groups, and female business-ownership and workforce involvement rates remain low.