Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Shahid Beheshti University
Abstract
Despite the rise in women’s educational attainment in Iran, their economic participation remains below the global average and disproportionate to the country’s human capital potential. This gap is not only the result of individual discrimination but also reflects structural and institutional barriers that limit women’s entry into and retention within the labor market. Using the new institutionalist approach and Douglas North’s theory of social orders, this study examines institutional determinants of women’s economic participation. The conceptual framework distinguishes between open access and limited access orders, with Iran analyzed as a case of a limited access institutional order. Quantitative data from international sources covering 2011–2021 are employed. Multiple regression and path analyses are used to assess the relationships between institutional, economic, and access-related variables. Independent variables include the rule of law, democracy, political stability, economic freedom, innovation, economic growth, and women’s access to educational and political opportunities. Findings indicate that weak rule of law, concentration of power, and institutional restrictions on equal access constitute the main barriers to women’s economic participation. Moreover, economic growth without effective institutions has limited and unstable effects. Accordingly, institutional reform and women’s educational and political empowerment are essential preconditions for improving their economic participation.
Keywords
- women's economic participation
- economic sociology
- new institutionalism
- open access order
- limited access order
Main Subjects
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