“Initially, there were some good moves in terms of appointment of female governors, but the moves were halted for reasons that I would not get into right now,” Shahindokht Mollaverdi, presidential deputy in family and women’s affairs, told ILNA,
on women’s appointment to managerial positions. She added, “Women have no presence in the administrative councils of provinces.”
On higher-level appointments of women as provincial governors or ministers, Mollahverdi pointed out, “Male officials would not risk granting macro responsibilities to women and bring up the critical and extraordinary state of affairs as their excuse for not choosing women.”
She also made it clear that there is no chance for a women’s ministry to be set up by government. She said the formation of such a ministry “had never been in Rouhani’s written plans, and even if he has mentioned such a thing, it has been without proper deliberations at the time.” She admitted that all ministries dodge their responsibilities with regards to women, and the formation of a women’s ministry would make things even worse.
(Iranian Labor news agency (ILNA), Aug. 25, 2015)