Critical discourse analysis of the role of women in development policies after the Islamic Revolution of Iran

Regarding the importance of women and gender equality in countries’ development, this article seeks to understand the role of women in development policies after the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The method of critical discourse analysis has been used to identify the role of women in development policies after the Islamic Revolution of Iran. To achieve this purpose was analyzed six documents of the development laws were adopted after the Islamic Revolution. Based on the analysis of the documents, three discourses about women and development are distinguishable from each other. The first discourse is called "gender development", which has emerged in the law of the first, third and fourth development programs. The second discourse is called " development as a threat to women " This discourse is placed in the law of second and fifth development law. "Women as the agents of development" is the name of the third discourse that can be seen in the sixth law. The discourse considers women who contribute to future development, not through work and education, but through greater fertility.
The central signs of the discourse of "gender development" are "gender equality” and “decreased fertility rate”, the central sign of the discourse of "development as a threat to women" is the " Cultural invasion " and The central signs of the discourse of "women as the agents of development" are "reproduction of gender roles” and “increase fertility rate”. As a result of the third discourse, women will increasingly become vulnerable groups and social development will not be achieved. Therefore, policymakers should balance the population needed for development and gender development.
‌
Development, Gender Development, Discourse, Women, Development Program and Policies. 
‌
‌Introduction
‌The definitions of ‘development’ emphasize the importance of gender equality and highlight it as an important index. Accordingly, the role of women in societal development is undeniable. To embrace and promote development, Iran, like any other country, must empower women and provide equal educational, occupational and social opportunities for them. Despite the importance of gender equality in development programs, developing countries continue to promote unequal gender policies or/and reproduce and repackage traditional roles for women. the promotion of gender equality in Development Programs in Iran has not steadily followed a growing path. To understand the role of women in development policies after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, this article scrutinized post-revolutionary development programs.
 
Methodology
Benefitting from the critical discourse analysis framework introduced by Norman Fairclough (1941‌), this article identifies the role of women in development policies after the Islamic Revolution of Iran. To achieve this goal, our research dissected six fundamental regulatory documents known as Development Programs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Program One to Six. Critical discourse analysis utilizes a dialectical approach to decode power relations mirrored in the rivalry of discourses. Based on this method, are drawn a description of discourses, the processes and strategies of formation and their dialectical relationship. Furthermore, the tenets of social semiotics helped us to decipher and analyze the Development Program documents.
 
Findings
According to the analysis of the documents, i.e. Development Programs, three discourses about the relationship between women and development in Iran are extracted. First is “Gender Development”, dominant in the First, Third and Fourth Development Programs. In general, the policies of the First, Third, and Fourth Development Programs regulations, tried to improve gender equality by decreasing the fertility rate, and promoting women’s position culturally, socially, and politically.  Second is the “Development as a Threat to Women” discourse, dominant in the Second and the Fifth Development Programs regulations. In this discourse, the socio-cultural consequences of development are considered a threat to Islamic values. The Second discourse believes that the First discourse popularized improper hijab/ veil, vulgarity, and the unrestrained pre- and extramarital relationship between men and women invading the core values of the Iranian Muslim society, and posing as a threat to women. Thus, “Cultural Invasion” is the central sign of the Second discourse, “Development as a Threat to Women”. Third, “Women as the Agents of Development” is mirrored in the Sixth Development Programs regulations. In the Third discourse, women’s role in future development is limited to a high fertility rate while women’s education, work and the results of fertility controls during the years 1989-2005 are an impediment.
Therefore, the central signs of the First discourse, “Gender Development”, are “gender equality” and “Decreased fertility rate “leading to the reduction of structural and legal discrimination against women. The central sign of the Second discourse, “Development as a Threat to Women”, is “Cultural Invasion” which has created intermittent interruptions in the process of gender development since the 1990s. The central signs of the Third discourse, “Women as the Agents of Development”, are an “Increase in the Fertility Rate” and “Reproduction of Gender Roles”. The Third discourse will deepen gender inequality in Iranian society and prevent gender development.
 
Result
The fluctuations in Iran’s development plans, especially the goals of the Sixth Development Program, make women vulnerable and socially underprivileged hindering sustainable development. It is recommended to create a balance between population priority and gender development in Iran to reach sustainable development.