In Tehran on Monday, reformist-backed candidates saw victory in a national election that also brought the greatest number of women to parliament in the nation’s history. Only nine women currently serve in the 290-seat legislature, but according to Guardian results, at least 20 women could enter the Majlis – breaking the 1979 record, when 14 women held seats.

The Guardian reports that Pavaneh Salahshori, 51, was among the eight women on the list who are reformist candidates. She advocates for women in the country, and has said that women should be able to choose whether or not to don the hijab. Speaking to the nine conservative women MPs, Salahshori said, “They are against women, I think some women are against women and these women are not women, only their gender is female, but their language is pro-men.”

When asked about the biggest problems plaguing Iran’s women, Salahshori said, “The rules and the laws … we will try, we have got many problems, divorce, the problem of unemployment of women, violence against women, it’s very bad, the violence is at home and in society, we have to remove all these kinds of violence.”

Link: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/03/01/iran-election-brings-record-number-of-women-to-parliament/