TEHRAN, Iran — President Hassan Rouhani cited "lack of justice in the employment process" when he ordered the cancellation of the third Civil Service Examination on July 31. Over 2,800 job opportunities at 12 state bodies were up for grabs in the test, which was due to be held in September. Rouhani further tasked the Management and Planning Organization with ensuring "women's employment rights by amending the gender-related quotas and informing the Cabinet about the results."

The order was reportedly issued on the request of Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi. On July 26, the semi-official news agency ISNA quoted her as saying that she had "sent a letter to Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri about gender discrimination at this year's exam."

Al-Monitor contacted Molaverdi for more insight into what prompted her to reportedly sound the alarm. She told Al-Monitor, "Based on the job titles and the number of positions allocated to women, we concluded that their share of the jobs has not been met."

Moreover, Molaverdi denied that Rouhani had acted upon her department's advice, saying, "We only monitored the public's and online community's reactions and reported them to the president. Thus, a decision was made to halt the exam until gender equality is fulfilled."