WOMEN'S HIGHER EDUCATION: THE TRANSFORMATION OF IRANIAN SOCIETY

The purpose of the study is to identify the key factors that have led females to higher education on a large scale in Iran. My research will analyse the social, political, economic and cultural context which has provided an opportunity for women to get more than 65% of the places in Iranian universities in an intensely unequal society. The rationale for a focus on women's share in higher education on such a scale is that education is considered a key social development indicator for measuring women's status and condition in any country. The number of females in higher education in Iran began to rise from 1998 onwards. Tertiary education is seen by many commentators as a provider of greater opportunities for women's economic and social development. Education is one of the most significant means of empowering women with the knowledge and skills they need in order to play a greater role in the process of economic and social development in society. Some scholars suggest that educated women who have worked hard to overtake their men will bring about positive social and political change in developing countries such as Iran.