Overview
- In a series of messages, the supreme leader said Islam honors women, described them as the 'manager of the home' and 'like a flower,' and upheld compulsory dress codes.
- He blamed U.S.-led capitalism for reducing women to objects and asserted that women in the West are paid less for the same work, a claim critics dispute.
- The statements arrived a day after more than half of Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament publicly accused the judiciary of failing to enforce hijab laws.
- Rights groups and reporters highlighted Iran’s strict dress-code punishments, hijab enforcement from early childhood, and reports of child marriage as evidence of systemic discrimination.
- Coverage pointed to Iran’s low female labor-force participation—reported at under 14%—and legal limits on women’s employment and public roles.