For the first time in five years, a permit had been issued in Tehran allowing people to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. Women's rights activists want to use this opportunity to celebrate this day and bring forth their demands in public.

In recent months, two women were chosen as governors and one woman was elected as mayor of a city in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan. There has also been news about Elaheh Koulaei and the possibility of her becoming the next chancellor of Tehran University. Prior to the elections, President Hassan Rouhani promised to create equal opportunities for women and men in the workplace and in managerial positions. He said, “Discrimination against women is unacceptable to us. Gender cannot be a suitable criteria for assigning responsibility. Women should be equally involved in decision-making.” He asked for health insurance to be extended to cover those women who are sole guardians of their families, and he had also opposed the proposal to introduce gender segregation in universities.

A women rights activist in Tehran said to Al-Monitor, “Because of the new administration, a lot of women rights activists have restarted their activities and are optimistic. The most important change is that the female activists are now hopeful. Choosing Shahindokht Molaverdi as a vice president in the administration was very important. Molaverdi has always worked alongside civil activists and knows about their problems.”

She added that recently the State Welfare Organization and the National Youth Organization have made it easier for private organizations to obtain permits. These organizations can be active in areas such as social deviance, domestic violence, rape and prostitution. Also, this year, groups such as the Iranian Mothers for Peace, the Civil Rights Association, the Board of Trustees of the Sediqeh Dowlatabadi Library as well as labor activists organized events to celebrate International Women’s Day.