Duality by Design: The Iranian Electoral System - IFES

The Iranian Electoral System
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While the constitution guarantees equal rights for women and men, the
number of women elected to the legislature has been generally low. As
demonstrated in the chart below, between 1980 and 1988 on average only
four female deputies were elected to the Majlis from the province of Tehran.
In 1992, with the election of four female deputies from the provinces (two
from the city of Tabriz, one from Kermanshah and one from Mashhad) and
five women from Tehran the number of female deputies more than doubled.
In 1996, changing political dynamics, increased participation of women in
politics and the nomination of prominent female candidates, such as Faezeh
Hashemi (the daughter of then President Hashemi Rafsanjani) resulted
in the election of 14 female deputies. This trend continued in the 6th and
7th Majlis as women increasingly engaged in political life. Nevertheless, a
comparative analysis between the percentage of female deputies in Iran
and its neighboring countries demonstrates that women, who comprise
almost half of the total population, are under-represented in the legislature.
On average less than three percent of parliamentarians in Iran are female
deputies as compared to Afghanistan’s 27 percent, Iraq’s 25 percent, United
Arab Emirates 22 percent, Tajikistan’s 17.5 percent, Syria’s 12.4 percent,
Azerbaijan’s 11.4 percent, and Turkey’s 9.1 percent. 39
Figure 17 - The number of women vs. men in the Majlis 1980-2008
(Source: “Comparative Analysis of Educational Levels and Political Affiliation of
Members of Parliament,” Bureau of Political Affairs, Ministry of Education)
International Foundation for Electoral Systems