Legislative position of women representatives in the Islamic Parliament of Iran; Tips on the Gender Study of Political Participation

The present study explores the available information on the presence of female representatives in the horizontal and vertical divisions of positions and as a result access to sources of power in legislative positions. Regarding this, the information about the female representatives in the eleven terms of the parliament is observed and collected separately each year and after validation, it is analyzed. The results show that despite the small number of female representatives in the last four decades, they have been able to record the experience of membership in all commissions, even if only one seat. Their highest participation rates were in the Health, Cultural, Social, Education and Research Commissions. In contrast, there have been very few in the energy, industry, program, budget and development commissions. This division corresponds to the gender distinctions in patriarchal values and is associated with the extension of gender stereotypes and the preference of women in caring for educational roles. While they have not been elected to the board in the last four decades, they have been able to serve as deputy chairmen in the defense, education and research, and cultural commissions, and hold subsequent positions in others.