A/HRC/22/56 Women’s rights F. 34. Reported statistics show that, in the past 30 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made remarkable advances in literacy, access to education for women, and women’s health. Literacy and primary school enrolment rates for women and girls are estimated at more than 99 per cent and 100 per cent respectively, and gender disparity in secondary and tertiary education is reportedly almost non-existent.32 Statistics also indicate that women benefit from improved access to primary health care. The maternal mortality rate is estimated at 24.6 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and skilled attendance during delivery is 94.5 per cent, figures that put the country “on track” with regard to attaining the Millennium Development Goal on improving maternal health.33 35. Moreover, the country’s fifth National Development Plan calls for “focusing on the needs and the creation of constructive opportunities for women and youth”. The Plan also refers to principles of equal pay for women and the expansion of social support for “ensuring equal opportunities for men and women and empowerment of women through access to suitable job opportunities”.34 Several programmes aimed at advancing these goals have reportedly been developed, including a scheme to generate “at home” employment for women. The Chairman of the Health and Treatment Commission of Parliament (Majlis) also recently announced the extension of maternity leave from six months to nine months, together with two weeks of mandatory leave for fathers.35 36. Gender-based disparities in economic participation and political empowerment remain, however, problematic (see table 4 below), and some recent developments threaten to reverse the above-mentioned achievements in education.36 These include unsuccessful (to date) legislative attempts to strengthen polygamy and to reduce work hours for women, as well as current policy proposals that discriminate against women in education and further limit their civil rights. Table 4 Gender ranking (2006-2012) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 out of out of out of out of out of out of 115 countries 128 countries 130 countries 134 countries 135 countries 115 countries Educational attainment 80th 90th 92nd 96th 96th 105th Economic participation and opportunity 113th 123rd 118th 131st 125th 125th Political empowerment 109th 122nd 128th 132nd 129th 130th Health and survival 52nd 58th 60th 63rd 83rd 85th World Economic Forum: The Gender Gap Reports: 2006 - 201237 32 33 34 35 36 37 12 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Iran: MENA Gender Equality Profile: Status of Girls and Women in the Middle East and North, October 2011 (available from www.unicef.org/gender/files/IranGender-Eqaulity-Profile-2011.pdf), p. 3. E/C.12/IRN/2, para. 257.9. Ibid., paras. 36.8-36.10. http://isna.ir/fa/news/91100301947/. See Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2012, World Economic Forum. Available from www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf. See www.weforum.org/reports.