Iran is obliging female civil servants to wear uniforms at work, ISNA news agency reported Wednesday. Azar Nazari, the head of women's affairs of the Tehran governor's office said that women would be obliged to wear uniforms from the start of the new Persian year, on March 21.
Nazari told ISNA that the uniforms had been designed following consultation with university professors and according to Iranian religious and cultural criteria. In line with Islamic regulations, women in Iran have to wear long gowns and a scarf to hide body contours and hair. Dress codes for women in ministries and public organisations are stricter still, and the new initiative further restricting choice of clothing caused dismay. "The samples I saw are not very different of what we have to wear now, but still forcing me to wear an uniform at the age of 47 makes me feel stupid and reminds me of my school days," said Maedehe M., who works in a public office in Tehran.