A major Iranian state-owned company gave its employees an ultimatum: either get married by September, or lose their jobs. According to AFP, the reformist Iranian newspaper Etemad named Pars Special Economic Energy Zone, a petrochemical and gas firm, as the company.
BBC reports that the marriage directive is in response to the increasing number of prostitutes working the area. The AFP explains that sexual relations outside of marriage are illegal in Iran, and most young people marry in their 20s and have children quickly. BBC reports that economic difficulties have forced young people to postpone marriage. The head of Irans youth organization, Ali Akbari, told AFP that out of 12 million Iranians between the ages of 15-29, only 840,000 are married.
