Women’s status in the Black Market of Iran during Covid-19

What has been happening for women in the Black Market of IRAN during COVID-19?

What is the Black market, underground or shadow economy ?

Iran’s economy

It is a clandestine market or series of transactions that has some aspects of illegality or is characterized by some forms of non-compliant behaviors with an institutional set of rules. The term “black market” refers to a part of the economy in which transactions are not conducted in accordance with established regulations, or in other words, transactions in this market are illegal.

Why Black? This is due to the occurrence of some dangerous activities in this market. The consequences of these activities harm both the economy and the social dimensions of society.

For example, drug trafficking, humans, human organs, weapons, drugs, and counterfeit goods are all indications of the black market. But sometimes the source of this blackness is the poor management of the economic system by the government.

The Black Market of IRAN

The border areas of each country are vulnerable and prone to illegal activities. If productive economic sectors and job opportunities are not created for the people of these areas, earning a living would cause a deviation in the economic behaviors of the people. People who do not have a place in the legal economic system for their livelihood would create an unauthorized economic mechanism in order to earn money, and this is the point which the people and the government will be against each other. In the meantime, both bear costs that cause serious damages to the structure of the country’s economy.

You should have seen a large number of peddlers on the street or in the subway and buses, these people do not need to pay taxes and all kinds of tolls, the goods in their hands have entered the country through illegal means such as smuggling and of course have a competitive advantage over shopkeepers. Although some of these items may be counterfeit, in some cases they may be available in stores of the same quality. In the economic context, these people are taking out the country’s currency and weakening domestic industries. Any product that enters through these channels targets part of the country’s industry, the existing demand for it, and even the entire industry, which is a wrong activity in the economic system.

Women’s participation in the Black Market

Iran shadow market

With the growing population of the city, informal employment is an integral part of the economy of any city, which is considered as a source of livelihood for poor families in the city. A significant proportion of the informal workforce around the world is street vendors selling goods in public areas of the city. Many of these informal workers are women.

Women turn to peddle for reasons such as limited and unequal access to income opportunities, barriers to participation in the formal labor market, lack of expertise, lack of capital, creation of a second job alongside the main job, migration from rural to urban areas.

According to official statistics, Covid-19 destroyed more than 1.5 million jobs and increased the number of unemployed. Those who have recently become unemployed, who do not have the promises of support from government institutions or are not covered by unemployment insurance, eventually, turn to peddle for a living.

Who is responsible?

Not only the news that the subway can increase the risk of contracting this deadly virus has not diminished the number of vendors, but also it seems that their number has increased!

We prepared the organization of 6,000 peddlers in Tehran and the approach is to support peddlers in such a way that they can continue their activities without harming the rights of citizens, the CEO of the “Urban Jobs Organization Company” said. But this “organizing” does not seem to have included women on the subway.

One of the women who works in the subway of Tehran said: metro agents are divided into several categories; Some ignore us because they know we have no choice. While others take us off the trains or do not allow us to work at the stations. They just say go and get out of here! In general, the agents do not treat us well. They do not seem to know what misfortunes we have!!

Nearly a year passed since the beginning of Covid-19, but there does not seem to be any principled and appropriate solution to protect the women from the terrible Coronavirus. In these eight months, they have not been able to organize the women peddlers of the subway in such a way that both these women can have a minimum income and the risks in the Tehran’s subway reduced.

The Essential Questions!??

women in Iran’s economy

Is it really difficult to identify this group of women and support them?! Isn’t a portion of the huge budgets of special institutions or a little bit of the property of the treasury to help the women who are the head of the household and have no other ways to cover their living expenses?! In times of crisis, is not the government obliged to fully support these vulnerable groups?! Is it really impossible to support these women so that they do not have to step on the “corridors of death” every day, at least until the crisis subsides? They would be forced to gamble “life” for “money” every day…