Women's rights in Iran

Women in Shriaz, wearing a hijab. Photo taken in 2017

In many ways, Iranian society and Iranian laws do not treat women the same way as men. Women are discriminated against in many areas of life. For decades, the government has acted against the idea that men and women should have equal rights. In 2024, Iran was one of five countries in the world, who had not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The other four were Somalia, South Sudan, Tonga, the United States, and Vatican City. Iran has Sharia laws in many areas. One of the things this means is that rape that occurs witin the bounds of marriage is not a crime. There are also very few laws against domestic violence.