The year 2021 was one of the most challenging years for women around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the vulnerability of women and deepened economic and social disparities. Globally, the work conditions for women became more limited due to the economic downturn. Women’s jobs in the service sector, along with a sharp decline in women’s participation in the informal economy, suffered the most damage. In addition to the economic burden, the pandemic and its processes have also placed a heavy burden on women, including unpaid care work, increased household responsibilities due to children being out of school, caring for elderly and sick family members, and the responsibility of managing education in virtual spaces. Women around the world have faced even more difficult and challenging conditions in all countries than in the past. In a 25-page statistical report, the United Nations examined the economic and social burden of COVID-19 on women, and the deepening of disparities and gender discrimination in 45 countries around the world, addressing these gaps

1. Economic problems and lower presence in the job market.

2. Care for patients and household work without payment.

3. Emotional and physical well-being.

4. Access to goods and services.

5. Relief measures and social support.

This comprehensive report clearly shows that the heavy burden in these five areas is significantly weighing on women, and the slow and small steps taken to reduce these gaps in the past two years have not met the needs. Women globally have lost 800 billion dollars in the first twelve months of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the decline in economic participation. The Executive Director of OXFAM International, one of the UN agencies working on social justice, poverty, and the environment, estimates that if women lose 64 million jobs in 2020, it is expected that the rate of job loss for women in 2021 will also have a sharp increase. (1).

If the gender gap in economic participation in the formal labor market is around two percent, in the informal sector which includes seventy percent of service industries, social care, health care, and low-paying jobs, the decline in women’s participation is much higher. According to a detailed report by McKinsey & Co during the COVID-19 pandemic, women were responsible for three times more household responsibilities than men and due to the pressure of these responsibilities, one out of every four women, who were employed, considered quitting their jobs. Therefore, although the significant decrease in women’s economic participation globally is mainly due to their heavy presence in sectors that have been hit the hardest, the unequal and heavy burden of household responsibilities can also contribute to this decline and increase in their share.

In Iran, the percentage of women employed in the first year of the pandemic has been fourteen times lower than men. Considering the deep gap in women’s economic participation in the labor market in Iran, which ranks among the countries with the highest rates, this limited number of employed women has led to a three-fold decrease in the number of women’s jobs compared to men. Like other countries, this trend has caused the most damage and economic decline in sectors such as service industries, including schools, kindergartens, nursing homes, jobs, and necessary medical care for patients, and so on, in Iran as well.

In the first twelve months of the coronavirus pandemic, one million women in Iran have lost their jobs. Considering that 70% of women are seeking employment and 80% of men have university degrees, and that out of 120 countries in the world, only 112 have a lower unemployment rate for educated individuals compared to Iran, it can be concluded that despite legal and cultural discrimination, deep gender inequality, and gender engineering policies to create encouraging conditions for women’s presence in public spaces and the job market over the past four decades have not been completely successful due to women’s demands and demands. However, women are more vulnerable to economic shocks such as the economic processes of the coronavirus pandemic compared to women in countries where economic discrimination is less prevalent.

Trade News reported on January 21, 2021 that 241,931 women have left the job market in the past year (2021) and according to the data from the Statistical Center of Iran, more than half of the working-age population in Iran is inactive. Fatemeh Azizkhani, an economic researcher, said in an interview with Trade News: “The motivation of women who have become inactive is their personal responsibility. Our women have both family responsibilities and work. Therefore, in addition to major shocks that have led to an increase in the inactive population, the personal responsibility of women has also contributed to their increase in inactive population.” (2).

In Iran, we also see more challenges and deeper gaps towards gender discrimination in various laws and socio-economic policies for the same reasons that women around the world face. The year 2021 can also be considered one of the most threatening years for reproductive rights and women’s right to control their bodies. While the rise of right-wing populist forces, neo-fascists, and fundamentalist religious forces in the West have attacked women’s reproductive rights, in many countries around the world – especially in Central Asia, South Asia, and North Africa – women’s limited and fragile rights have been taken back and violated under population policies or regressive attitudes towards birth control.

The Majority Feminist Organization, a non-governmental and nationwide institution in the United States, has declared 2021 as the worst year for reproductive rights and abortion in the past half century. Alongside attacks on reproductive rights by right-wing lawmakers in the Supreme Court, it has been a bad year for reproductive rights and abortion, a sign of disregard for women’s health and lives according to this institution. The ban on abortion in the state of Texas, which goes against the rights reflected in the US Constitution, has now led women’s organizations to take to the streets to defend the rights they have fought for and stand strong against right-wing and fascist forces, similar to women in Eastern European countries.

In Iran, the “Youth and Family Support” program has also banned free distribution of contraceptives, vasectomies, tubal ligations, and any advertising about reducing fertility. Therapeutic abortion was approved in 2005 in Iran, in cases where the mother and baby’s health was at risk and with the approval of a doctor and following legal procedures. However, intentional abortion without therapeutic permission is considered a crime and the woman is sentenced to pay compensation to the father of the fetus, and the medical staff can face two to five years of imprisonment. The ninth article of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on individual rights and freedoms, but in the past four decades, these rights have been violated by laws related to marriage, pregnancy, and abortion. Policies that restrict and violate women’s reproductive rights, along with promoting child marriage and criminalizing advertising for reducing fertility, have serious consequences for the lives and health of women, especially for the majority of marginalized women in

Despite economic and social challenges, women’s achievements in 2021 have been remarkable and noteworthy. These achievements include advancements in women’s rights and freedoms, as well as gender equality in social and political spheres.

In 2021, eight countries elected their first female head of state, and Barbados, Estonia, and Moldova chose women as their presidents for at least part of the year. Samia Suluhu Hassan became the first female president of Tanzania in March. In May, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was elected as the first female Prime Minister of Samoa. In June, Robina Nabanja was appointed as the first female Prime Minister of Uganda. Najla Bouden Romdhane was introduced as the first female Prime Minister of Tunisia and the first woman in such a position in Arab countries in September. With the republication of Barbados in the first elections in October 2021, Sandra Mason became the first female president of the country. In November, the Swedish parliament voted for Magdalena Andersson as the Prime Minister, and in December, Xiomara Castro was elected as the President of Honduras.

Albania, a small country in Europe, has allocated 70% of its cabinet positions to women and Germany achieved gender parity in its cabinet for the first time in 2021. Iraq and Kosovo have also sent a higher percentage of women to their respective parliaments. Kamala Harris also began her role as the first female Vice President of the United States in January 2021. She is also the first Asian American and first Black woman to hold such a position.

It should be noted that if breaking the glass ceiling for women’s political participation in leadership positions and strategic positions reduces gender inequality in these political positions, it is still important and valuable for achieving gender equality in order to improve the lives of the majority of women in the world. The presence of more women in top political positions, if not accompanied by a commitment to gender equality in economic, political, and cultural spheres and the elimination of discrimination, cannot be of historical and sustainable value; in fact, women who have voted for anti-women policies in high positions are not deserving of support from advocates of gender equality.

In the field of changing laws for gender equality and supporting women’s human rights, we have also witnessed valuable achievements in 2021.

Spain has passed stricter laws regarding sexual assault, defining non-consensual sexual acts as rape. This law was a response to a high-profile gang rape case known as “La Manada” in 2016. This group assault sparked national outrage in Spain, leading to the requirement for explicit and positive consent for sexual acts and making it impossible to ignore silence or other reactions. The focus of this law is on harsher punishments for perpetrators and support for victims. It also classifies street harassment and sexual objectification of women as criminal offenses and includes imprisonment for sexual harassment in the workplace. It is worth noting that despite reports of increasing sexual harassment in the workplace in Iran and a series of honor killings, harassment and assault in public spaces, and a rise in violence in private spaces, we do not see supportive policies or laws for women in Iran.

One of the positive steps taken in the past year can be pointed to a law regarding child marriage in Lebanon. The Islamic Supreme Council in Lebanon approved an amendment to the Family Law, which includes a new chapter on marriage of individuals under the legal age in the country. The new law prohibits marriage of children under the age of fifteen and states that girls must give their consent for marriage; otherwise, the marriage is considered void.

Due to the damaging effects of the coronavirus and the decline in the success of women and girls, it is expected that in the next decade, one hundred million girls under the age of eighteen will be married worldwide. The economic crisis, insecurity, and school closures due to the coronavirus have put another ten million girls at risk of child marriage. This harmful trend for the health of girls and women can only be managed through political will and targeted efforts. It is worth noting that ending child marriage, whether formal or informal, and whether it is religiously sanctioned in some countries, which includes children under the age of eighteen, is a crucial part of sustainable development goals that UN member states have committed to.

Furthermore, Chile became the first country in the world to hold a constitutional convention for the drafting of a new constitution, which introduces new standards in the world. So far, no country has prepared and drafted a constitution with equal representation of women and men. The current constitution of this country was prepared in 1980 during the Pinochet regime and, although it rejects gender discrimination, it limits women’s rights in marriage, gender identity, and reproductive rights. A call for a new constitution was raised during the social uprising in October 2019 and seventy percent of the people in this country voted in favor of a general assembly with equal representation of women and men.

One of the most shocking events in 2021 was the Taliban’s seizure of power in Afghanistan on August 15, 2021. This time, Afghan women are speaking from positions of power and we have witnessed their courageous resistance and inspiring presence on the streets of Afghanistan during the final five months of 2021. The Taliban’s actions to prevent girls from receiving an education, restrict their presence in public spaces, prohibit their political and economic participation, and suppress and arrest them have not been able to deter the young generation of Afghan women who have not experienced the previous era of the Taliban from resisting. Suppression and violence, the beating of journalists on October 21, and media coverage of women’s protests for their rights have not been able to instill fear and terror in the hearts of Afghan women. The global community must respond positively to the demands of the people of Afghanistan, especially Afghan women, and not hesitate to support them in any way possible.

2021 was also a year in which prominent women in global arenas, who had deep and positive impacts on women, equality, and gender justice, left us. Nawal El Saadawi, an Egyptian woman, writer, and physician who pursued gender equality for women in Egypt throughout her life, and bell hooks, a researcher, writer, and anti-racist feminist and cultural activist, were among these women who passed away last year. May 2022 bring about positive events and steps forward for women around the world and our homeland.

Notes:

1 – The spread of COVID-19 resulted in the loss of over 800 billion dollars in women’s income in 2020 in ninety-eight countries around the world.

Oxfam.

April 29, 2021.

2 – The exit of 242,000 women from the job market/ Why did women leave the job market? Tadbir News, 21 Dey 1400.

3- For more information, refer to: Preserving Women and Girls: Evident Gaps in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Report.

United Nations Organization, December 17, 2021.