SÜVEYDE HORASAN

Khorasan- Women play an important role in agriculture in Iran; however, they are subjected to poor working conditions and legal inequalities due to ignorance, lack of education, social rights and laws protecting them. According to official statistics of Iran, there are 82,000 agricultural facilities in North Khorasan province and women make up more than half of the agricultural workforce. In addition, there are many sugar factories in the province and women farmers make up 90 percent of farmers growing sugar beet. NuJINHA spoke to several women farmers growing sugar beet in the province.

 They have to work despite poor working conditions

47-year-old Maryam Rabbani is one of the women working in a sugar beet field. “20 years have passed since my husband left me and my children. I raise my children alone by working in sugar fields. I also plant onions, potatoes and tomatoes and I am paid 200,000 tomans per day. In winter, I earn a living for my children by caring for the elderly. I have to work despite poor working conditions. I suffer from health problems but I have to keep working for my children,” she told us.

‘I have to work without health insurance’

Zahra Mohammadpour is another woman working in sugar beet fields despite the scorching heat in summer. Speaking about herself and her work, 50-year-old Zahra Mohammadpour has been working in agriculture for 18 years. “My husband is also a worker but his salary is insufficient to meet everything for our family. My husband is a reported worker while I am an unreported worker. I have to work without health insurance to meet the needs of my family.”