Iranian woman barred from work following husband's complaint

Iran Focus:

Sun. 7 Aug 2005

TEHRAN - A Tehran court has barred a young woman from working after her estranged husband complained she was only allowed to be a housewife, local media reported Sunday.

The female half of the unnamed couple left her husband and started working two years ago because he "deceived me and treated me badly", she told the court.

But her husband charged that "she started working without my permission and I want her to be barred from having a job," the court heard.

"Although their marriage certificate defines the wife's profession as 'housewife', she left her husband two years ago and worked in a private company without his permission," the court ruled.

When there is no clause in the marriage certificate allowing the wife to work outside, the husband can bar her, the verdict said.

Iranian women face a number of legal restrictions in Iran's male-dominated society.

They receive half the inheritance and blood money given to men, and they are also not allowed to be court judges. If married, a woman needs her husband's permission to travel abroad or work outside home.