Afareen Ahmed is student of Social Sciences & Humanities in Azad University Mashhad. If we see back in last few years the number of young Iranian women who have been admitted to universities has risen dramatically. In the last five years alone, Iranian women have made up more than 60 percent of university entrants. It’s a surprising development for the Islamic Republic.

The remarkable educational progress of Iranian girls in the last decade should be considered a social phenomenon, because its implications for social relations, the labor market, and the status of women in society and in the family are very, very important in determining the future of Iran. The Education Ministry recently proposed a quota system aimed at limiting the number of women who can enroll in courses like medicine, where female students are rapidly outnumbering males.