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up by men and few women hold management or entrepreneurialpositions. Only 6% of 65 science andtechnology parks in Iran are headed by women. However,because of self-motivation and a hard-workingattitude amongst women, the number of them as seniorexperts and coordinators at middle-managementlevels is increasing.Men in urban societies enjoy better educationalopportunities and resources than women. But womenin rural and tribal societies are the most oppressed,with the least availability of educational resources.Given the economic difficulties and high unemploymentrate among rural women, the need toprovide them with ICT facilities is not a matter ofdoubt. But poor infrastructure and a low educationalbase should be taken into consideration when implementingan international model adapted to thecontext of rural society in Iran.In recent years, some governmental organisationslaunched teleworking plans. This brought hopeto female employees who thought they would beable to continue their job responsibilities at homeusing ICTs, while being mothers. Pregnant womenespecially counted on this scheme as a method ofempowerment that would mean a quicker re-entryinto their careers. Unfortunately, mismanagementand the administration mentality caused these plansto fail by forcing a majority of women to turn theirwork schedules into part-time employment, with adrastic income reduction.Electronic violence against women andjudicial/security measuresVirtual violence against women is a malfunction ofthe internet. Filming women’s private relations withouttheir permission and uploading them on the web,posting personal pictures of them on social networkpages, publishing nude pictures after retouching anormal photo, etc., are evident violations of personalrights which have victimised a lot of women in recentyears.According to statistics, “desecration” is the secondmost common internet crime. 6 Humiliation anddisrespect, often through mobile phone text messages,threatening women with publishing their privatephotos on the net, and blackmailing them or theirfamilies are some prevalent methods. Although mostof the statistical reports do not include gender indicators,the number of cases of desecration openedin the judicial system indicates this is an expandingproblem.Security organisations such as the Iranian CyberPolice, known as the FTA, have started to confront6 www.hamshahrionline.ir/details/193606cyber crimes. A list of internet crimes was published, 7but the approach to cyber security has resulted inmore censorship for women.Moreover, the composition of the members ofinstitutions and organisations such as the FTA, theSupreme Council of Virtual Spaces and the Council ofLitigation on Cybercrimes reflects a male dominancewhich insists on male structures.ICTs and threats to cultural identityDiscussion about women’s identity and Iranian culturewhen it comes to ICTs is diverse: it ranges fromthe effects of ICTs on secularisation, to the topic of“soft war”, which has been recently introduced intopolitical literature, with an emphasis on stabilisingIslamic norms. The different points of view havesparked considerable debate. The main discussionusually involves women, public morals and chastity.One of the latest controversial topics amongreligious leaders and state groups is that of 3Gtechnology and its influences. Some of the leadersconfronted the question by prohibiting 3G, arguingthat it endangered public and family chastity becauseof its visual capabilities. 8 Some governmentalexperts, magnifying its effects, even compared thistechnology to nuclear bombs. Its more positive effectsare often ignored: it can at least provide parentsand especially mothers with psychological comfort atwork by allowing them to “telewatch” their children.Such confrontations are not new: technologies areoften challenged by hardliners and then accepted,under pressure from the public and businesses. Inthis context, cultural activities are necessary to preventa new trend of violence against women.Action stepsRegarding the potential of ICTs, as well as solid indicatorson the information society, the following stepsare necessary to protect the role of women:• Technical and infrastructural issues and howwomen can access infrastructure need to be addressed.• Problems created by legal limitations on women,based upon cultural matters, need to be solved.• Targeted projects to empower women throughICTs are necessary. Further research is also neededin this regard, and ICT-related occupations andvirtual violence might be considered as the mainpriorities of study. ■7 www.itna.ir/vdcexv8w.jh8nfi9bbj.html8 www.itna.ir/vdcci0qi.2bqpx8laa2.html138 / Global Information Society Watch