More Iranian women and girls are now pursuing education than boys. Around 48% more female students are currently enrolling in schools in Iran compared to male students. Women also constitute about 60% of the national teaching workforce in Iran. This is significantly higher than in 2007, when the number of women enrolling in schools was only 32%. This has also helped elevate the country’s scientific status and has allowed women to participate in social, economic and cultural spheres.

History of Iranian Women in Education (Pre-Islamic Revolution)

Iranian women’s fight for education became more challenging after the Iranian Revolution in 1979 as the government put in place more restrictions for women. For example, the government prohibited “promiscuous gatherings” in public places such as educational institutions, which made it harder for women and girls to go to school and university. However, women continued their studies and academic success despite these obstacles.

Western missionaries opened schools for girls in Iran, such as the Fisk Seminary in 1838. However, the authorities did not allow Muslim students to enroll for a long time after it was founded. The Iran Bethel School, founded by the American Presbyterian missionary organization in 1874, initially only enrolled European and Iranian Christian students, before allowing Muslim girls to enroll in 1888.

Iran continued to expand the education of women in the early 20th century as well. In 1935, the government introduced secularization in Iran’s education system, which meant the nation needed professionally trained students. Therefore, the education system encouraged more women to attend schools. Education became a norm for Iranian women.

After the Islamic Revolution

In this period, the government retracted previously passed laws to reform women’s status in the home and uphold their patriarchal ideologies. Immediately after the revolution, the new government shut down many schools and universities, keeping them shut for another three years. Many women lost their jobs, including those who held positions of authority in the government. The government imposed severe workplace segregation restrictions for men and women, but when they did work close to each other, cases of harassment did appear, with women often as the victims. Furthermore, they made the hijab mandatory in employment even for non-Muslim women.

Also, during this time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian government, barred women from studying subjects such as veterinary science and geology due to the government’s policies, which aimed to segregate the sexes and force boys and girls to fulfill different roles in society. This made Iranian women’s fight for education more challenging than before the revolution.

The Effects of Poverty on Education

Poverty can worsen any person’s experience of education, but this is especially prominent in Iran, as in 2025 the government’s average spending per student was around $300. This is substantially lower compared to the global average, which is $9,000. Therefore, Iranian families must purchase the materials their children need for school by themselves. Impoverished families cannot afford to purchase these materials, which then prevents their kids from attending school.

Poor Iranian girls also face other challenges such as early marriage. The minimum age for marriage is 13 in Iran and UNICEF reported that 17% of women between the ages of 20 and 24 were married before they were 18. The government criminalizes abortion and contraceptives under the Youthful Population and Protection of the Family law, which means women will most likely have children after getting married and abandon education to take care of them.

Girls who live in rural areas also tend to abandon education due to the absence of schools for girls in rural provinces. High-performing schools also charge high fees, which girls who live in poverty cannot afford, so they must endure the “under-resourced” and “overcrowded” public schools.

Iranian Women’s Achievements

Iranian women’s fight for education continues despite the barriers that the government imposes on them. The gross percentage of girls and women enrolling in schools has increased substantially in the last decade. It went from 55% in 2021 to 59% in 2022, and women’s literacy rate went to 85.1% in 2023. Also, the Iranian female students achieved first place in astronomy and astrophysics, and fourth place in biology and physics at the International Olympiads 2024.

Ultimately, the Iranian government continues to impose restrictions on women, which can negatively impact their level of education. Women living in poverty may also miss out on educational opportunities due to lack of academic resources and nearby schools. However, Iranian women’s fight for education has allowed some to not fall behind the women in the Western world and attain globally recognized achievements through their hard work. The Women’s Organization of Iran has been helping Iranian women to advance their “social, cultural and legal status.”

– Bianca Burdulea

Bianca is based in Sunderland, UK and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr