Women, Peace and Security: Iran

"At this point in time having a woman vice-president in Iran is a reflection of the status of Iranian women. We have achieved greatly in areas like education, political participation and social mobilization. Iranian women have made great strides in terms of entering different fields at university; 62 per cent of university students are women. We have many women now serving as university lecturers and professors and in managerial posts. In many parts of the country women have undertaken an important role in promoting civil society.

"Women have made themselves an integral part of the reform process; there are now 14 female parliament members out of 290, working on health, foreign policy, social development, industry and trade and culture. They have worked tirelessly, lobbying hard to have their voices taken seriously by the government. What we've been looking for is the development of women at grassroots level, the empowerment of women and improvement in their status in family relationships."

Masoumeh Ebteka, Vice President of Iran

"It is the first time in the history of Iran that an Iranian has won this prize and, especially in the Islamic society of Iran, with the Islamic government of Iran, a woman winning this prize -- it means a lot for the whole population, especially women in Iran […] She was outspoken and this made a big difference in the society of Iran. Women, they don't have much of a voice [in Iran], and she dared to [talk about] some issues and increase the pressure over them, and few women could do that -- and that is the reason that she is famous in Iran and outside. She has also won several international prizes from [the literary organization] PEN and different organizations for her work on these issues.[…] "In the impact on the future, especially of women's rights, [Iran] will have a voice, an internationally recognized voice after this period. And this can give her leverage to publicize and to do more in getting women's and children's rights [on the agenda] in Iran. […] Women in Iran, they don't have rights that Western societies have. They don't enjoy that kind of freedom. So she will have a symbolic role."

Jasmshid Zand is a journalist with RFE/RL's Radio Farda