Live data from Hacker News

Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

en.mehrnews.com

1–10 of 132 posts

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#2
Working link:https://en.mehrnews.com/news/150023/Women-make-up-54-of-new-...

For comparison, the University of California system is 52% female [1] and the California State University is 56% female [2].

[1]https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/fall-enrol...

[2]http://www.calstate.edu/as/stat_reports/2018-2019/fage01.htm

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#3
I suppose this is being upvoted as it goes against western preconceptions of irani society and women rights over there. When reading it, I remembered I visited Doha earlier this year and I was told that many more women than men go to university there, because for men it is vastly more likely to be socially acceptable to study abroad than for women. So that may also be playing a role here (or not; qatar is quite smaller, richer and more open than Iran)

On the other hand in Europe also more women than men are entering university.

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#4

Working link: https://en.mehrnews.com/news/150023/Women-make-up-54-of-new-... For comparison, the University of California system is 52% female [1] and the California State University is 56% female [2]. [1] https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/fall-enrol... [2] http://www.calstate.edu/as/stat_reports/2018-2019/fage01.htm

Nationally it's about 56% of students at university are women.

Aug 2017, The Atlantic: "Where men once went to college in proportions far higher than women—58 percent to 42 percent as recently as the 1970s—the ratio has now almost exactly reversed."

"This fall, women will comprise more than 56 percent of students on campuses nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Some 2.2 million fewer men than women will be enrolled in college this year. And the trend shows no sign of abating. By 2026, the department estimates, 57 percent of college students will be women."

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/why-me...

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#5
I was in Iran last year so let's give some perspective why this metric alone is useless:

1. Before university boys and girls learn in separate schools.

2. After university women have almost zero chances for career. It is more probably that they will end up being house wives.

I doubt that this has changed in a year. I have not checked my facts - that's impression from speaking with open minded Iranian families (and we have met various families).

Basically, university is one of the rare chances for women in Iran not to marry their cousin.

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#7

I suppose this is being upvoted as it goes against western preconceptions of irani society and women rights over there. When reading it, I remembered I visited Doha earlier this year and I was told that many more women than men go to university there, because for men it is vastly more likely to be socially acceptable to study abroad than for women. So that may also be playing a role here (or not; qatar is quite small…

That's not the case with Iran. If you want to study abroad as Iranian you must either spend 10000€ (or something like that) to get permission to leave country or spent 3 years in the army. I'm simplifying with 10000€ but idea is that Iranians with their small salaries can not allow that. Joining military is not an option as well for some.

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#8
post #6

Actually, most of Western opinion about Iran is misguided and plain wrong. Iran is really not as terrible as all the propaganda about it. In fact its quite much like Turkey, except the politicians are better and its not as corrupt.

Turkey by Western standards is not heaven either ;-) While I agree that are a lot of myths and false assumptions about Iran.

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#9
post #5

I was in Iran last year so let's give some perspective why this metric alone is useless: 1. Before university boys and girls learn in separate schools. 2. After university women have almost zero chances for career. It is more probably that they will end up being house wives. I doubt that this has changed in a year. I have not checked my facts - that's impression from speaking with open minded Iranian families (and we…

One step at a time.

Substantial cultural or institutional change doesn’t happen in a year or even five years. Anecdotally, the time lines are 20-30 years, if not more. Some countries move faster than others.

I don’t think this metric is useless. No one is saying Iran is the bastion of women’s rights. But - More women achieving higher education is a good thing. The younger generations are certainly far more progressive from the anecdotes I’ve heard from Iranian friends.

Re: Women make up 54% of new students entering Iranian universities

#10
Two months ago I went to a journey called the 'Mongol Rally' which is basically a race when you need to drive from the Czech Republic to Mongolia in a shitty car

Because I'm from Israel my team couldn't get into Iran but other teams got into Iran and all of them were extremely surprised.

Iranians know how to welcome tourists, they were extremely friendly, the food is delicious, the country is beautiful, and many people are open-minded.

The problem in Iran is their politicians and the image created around the radical Iranian regime

Post reply on HN