The data gathered by the Statistical Center of Iran for the 1996 census indicate that more than 8.4 percent of Iranian households are run by women. In other words, one of every 12 households in Iran is headed by a woman. However, this ratio has increased between the last two population censuses in the light of the country’s cultural and social conditions, so the figure regarding female heads of household is higher than the given statistics.
Given the importance of family as an institution and gender discrimination, as well as legal and normative inequalities between men and women in Iranian society, a study of the socioeconomic characteristics of female heads of household compared to male heads of household sheds light on the differential impact of the abilities and capabilities of the head of the household in fulfilling the needs of household members. Overall, the study of female-led households can help highlight the indicators of poverty, especially as these are among the most vulnerable social groups.
An investigation of the available data in Iran indicates that studies undertaken in this field often concentrate only on certain aspects and conditions of life of female-headed households, such as economic, emotional, psychological or social difficulties, or the role of the organizations in charge of protecting this vulnerable group. However, a comprehensive picture of the socioeconomic characteristics of female-headed households is not depicted.
The data here offer socioeconomic characteristics of female heads of households in Iran. These characteristics include age, literacy, education, marriage, employment, activities, household expenditure, and housing features, among others. These characteristics are also compared with those of male heads of households.
Source: Iran Statistical Center.
- Population and regular settled households, by head of household’s sex in urban and rural areas of provinces: 1996
- Percentage distribution of head of regular settled households, by literacy status, level of education and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of head of regular settled households, by household composition and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of employment (formerly employed) head of regular settled households, by duration of unemployment and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of regular settled households, by number and type of employed persons and head’s sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of economically inactive head of regular settled households, by number of household’s employed persons and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of employed head of regular settled household, by age of starting work and sex: 2000
- Percentage distribution of employed head of regular settled households, by major industry groups and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of employed head of regular settled households, by major occupation groups and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of employed head of regular settled households, by employment status and sex: 1996
- Percentage distribution of employed head of regular settled households, by weekly work hours in main job and sex: 2000