On April 19, speaking in a meeting of women affiliated with the regime in Tehran, Khamenei said: “Employment is not among the principal issues that relate to women; family has priority.” These remarks are a reaction to the widespread demands of Iranian women for equal rights and their resistance against the ruling misogynist policies.

In the past two years, Khamenei has time and again emphasized on the necessity of increasing the population, giving priority to the family, and reviewing the employment of women in the society. Following these remarks, legislations were adopted by the parliament that stopped the program of controlling pregnancy and offered incentives for women to stay at home. In this regard, the parliament designated the most important work for women in housekeeping, taking care of their husbands, and raising children. On Sunday, April 13, the mullahs’ parliament approved the urgency of a resolution for increasing the population titled the “Plan to prevent decrease in population growth” with 131 votes in favor, 43 against, with 9 abstentions out of the total 204 representatives present in parliament.

The state-run newspaper Jam-e Jam mentioned that the “Plan to prevent decrease in population growth” has four articles and wrote: “The first article unmistakably reiterates that any advertising about restricting the births and reducing the childbearing is prohibited and the culprit will be punished under article 624 of the Islamic law.”

In this plan it is emphasized that harsh punishments are envisioned for the violators. 

In his speech on Saturday, in opposition to equal opportunities for women and men in employment and the priority for women to stay at home and raise children, Khamenei said: “With what logic should we bring women that physically and sentimentally have been created by God for a special part of life to the realms that cause them hardship?”