A government-led study of the emotional well-being of Iranian women in the conservative holy Iranian city of Qom and the more liberal capital of Tehran revealed that social and cultural restrictions on women may cause widespread depression.
While all Iranian women are subject to numerous social and cultural restrictions, the enforcement of these mandates is more absolute in conservative religious cities like Qom. President Mohammad Khatami’s advisor on women’s affairs, Zahra Shojaie, led the research. Her department surveyed women between the ages of 17 and 22 about their emotional health and well-being.
Shojaie reported, “The study shows that the level of depression in the city of Qom is more than that in Tehran. This goes back to the suppression of girl’s interests and all existing restrictions.”
