In Iran, traditional culture still dominates social relations in rural areas, city outskirts, and immigrant settlements. This culture places women’s employment under the control of men, and women face numerous obstacles to earn a meagre income from home-based jobs.
The Struggle for Economic Independence
A job is expected to provide, at the very least, for the basic needs of the individual and their family, and ideally, it should lead to the person’s economic independence. However, this is not the case for women in rural areas and the outskirts of large cities. For these women, living under a traditional patriarchal culture, achieving economic independence is vital as it leads to personal, emotional, and social independence. However, the jobs available to rural women are often temporary and only provide a small supplementary income for family expenses, without offering financial independence.
Women entering the rural or suburban job market must seek permission from their male “guardians” (father, brother, or husband) regarding the type of work, start time, how it is performed, and travel arrangements. As women are considered “minors” in traditional Iranian culture, they have little freedom in choosing their work and how they spend their income.
Women’s Employment as a Development Indicator
When discussing rural women’s employment, entrepreneurship often emerges as the first solution. Entrepreneurship for rural and suburban women should be such that work is possible at or near home, as traditional roles and family responsibilities often prevent women from working outside the home.
However, working from home, despite its advantages such as acceptance by the father, brother, or husband, isolates working women from civil, financial, and social support institutions. They remain dependent on their male relatives for financial and credit transactions and, as they are not present in the social sphere, they are less informed about the ups and downs of their business situation.
The Road to Financial Independence
Many working women who have managed to stand on their own feet through entrepreneurship in recent years have given up after a while. This could be due to a lack of market knowledge for their products, coupled with increasing family responsibilities that make continuing work impossible for women. Despite these challenges, rural women continue to seek new ways to earn small incomes and test their energy and ability in constantly changing various businesses.
One reason for women’s eagerness to have small businesses is to address family economic issues and reduce its financial burden. The second reason is that women are looking for a safety net to guarantee their future economic life without depending on the men in the family, to enjoy better mental-social health and to be able to decide on their own issues.
Today, “strengthening rural women’s entrepreneurship is essential in terms of being rational, humane, and environmentally friendly. Women in developing countries are the first hope for promoting families and developing the country.”1
Entrepreneurship in Iran began in the 1380s when unemployment became a significant issue. The third development plan was implemented to address this, which was further developed in the fifth plan. However, rural women faced numerous obstacles in creating employment opportunities, including lack of access to resources, distance from urban centers, lack of technical knowledge and skills, and family responsibilities. The lack of demand for their homemade products also discouraged them from entering the job market.
Experiences of Rural Women
A study in the Golab district of Kashan emphasized that traditional roles and the commitment to stay at home prevent women from controlling their time and energy distribution. They face role conflict when trying to balance work and family commitments. In addition, rural women, especially married ones, do not have ownership rights over their income. This male-dominated structure provides more employment opportunities for men and discourages women from learning, skill-building, and competing in local markets.
In a conversation with a rural woman in Kashan, it was revealed that family responsibilities limit her time for marketing and selling her handicrafts compared to her male counterparts. In another interview with a woman on the outskirts of Mashhad, she shared that her father and husband, although interested in her additional income, do not allow her to have jobs outside the home. The Afghan immigrant community in her neighborhood restricts women’s presence outside the home unless they fight for their rights while also managing household responsibilities.
In a village in Eshtehard, a woman named Maliheh, despite having a university degree, is unable to start a business. She believes that educated individuals cannot engage in traditional rural jobs as they lack the necessary skills and trust from buyers. Furthermore, finding a market for traditional jobs without intermediaries is challenging. For instance, carpet weavers lack the initial capital to start their work and depend on intermediaries to provide raw materials and secure orders from buyers. This means a significant portion of the sales from industries like hand-woven carpets goes to intermediaries.
Some women prefer to work in nearby factories instead of starting their own business. However, this does not necessarily mean they achieve financial independence. The lack of financial backing is a significant obstacle for rural women in Iran seeking to establish their own businesses. A study in the rural village of Shalil in Ardil province identified three main barriers to women’s entrepreneurship: lack of financial resources and savings, lack of collateral for government loans, and inability to compete with men in the business and economic sphere.
In rural areas and city outskirts, access to resources and facilities is limited, and social relations are often based on kinship and neighborhood ties rather than professional ones. This limits the opportunities for new jobs and the development of many businesses. The only remaining option is to utilize traditional jobs, which are only feasible in tourist areas during certain seasons and do not provide substantial income without government support.
In the city of Shush, the presence of the tomb of the Prophet Daniel provides an opportunity for local women to set up stalls to sell their products during the cooler seasons. However, these stalls require rental payments, which many cannot afford, limiting their ability to sell their products. This situation is also prevalent in other areas with tourist attractions, where local authorities often allocate stalls to friends and acquaintances, and share in their sales profits.
Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Women’s Entrepreneurship in Iran
Rural women make up 28% of the total female population in Iran and contribute significantly to the national gross production, jobs, innovation, and social welfare. However, statistics show that less than 10% of entrepreneurs in Iran are women.2 The lack of financial resources, low literacy levels, heavy domestic responsibilities, and men’s reluctance to accept women as work team members are among the obstacles faced by women in rural areas of Khorasan.
The reluctance of banks and financial institutions to lend to women with businesses, and the lack of credible guarantors among working women, have made women’s work something that cannot be relied upon for a steady and reliable income. This has led to a situation where the work of rural and suburban women is not taken seriously by their families, creating further family obstacles. The only hope for these women is the prospect of a better future, where they can finally achieve financial independence. However, without a change in traditional attitudes and the dominant view of women’s role in society, significant change is unlikely.
- Analysis of Barriers to Entrepreneurship of Rural Women in Kashan County, Mohsen Shatrian, Zahra Nasrabadi, Fatemeh Mansourian. Quarterly Journal of Space Economy and Rural Development. Sixth Year. Number 3. Autumn 2017. Issue 21. ↩︎
- Analysis of Barriers to Processing Rural Women’s Businesses: A Study in the Tilabad Watershed Area, Golestan Province. ↩︎
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