Women Street Vendors

Citizen Journalist

Every year, as the Iranian new year and the spring equinox draws near, Tehran's sidewalks fill with street vendors offering every kind of merchandise. Among them are women of all ages. What they sell depends on their situation and their financial means. Some bring handicrafts to the sidewalks, while others try to resell what they have bought from shops.

Some of these women are the sole breadwinners for their families and street vending is their only way of making money. According to figures from the Bureau of Statistics’ 2011 census, women are the primary caretakers in 12 per cent of Iranian families. They number around two and a half million people, of which only 18 per cent are employed. Thirty-five per cent of them are married but their spouses are unable to provide for the family. Of the remaining sixty-five percent, 20 per cent have lost their husbands, mainly due to traffic accidents. Twenty-six percent are divorced.

The same report reveals that among female heads of families, 11 per cent under the age of 35 are illiterate; among those aged between 35 and 64, the rate of illiteracy rises to 44 per cent. For the remaining numbers, 19 per cent have only a rudimentary education.

A walk around the city shows that not all female street vendors are the heads of their families, of course. Some of them are underage girls.

A number of street vendors occupy the same spot on the sidewalk throughout the year. Others roam around the city. Popular places to sell include entrances to the Tehran Metro, outside shopping centers or in busy squares. Other vendors ride metro trains and offer their merchandise in cars reserved for female passengers.

Some sellers come from poor provincial towns and offer their handicrafts for sale. One is from Birjand in northeastern Tehran. She sells her handmade traditional dolls outside a metro station. Another one sells dried fruits and walnuts, neatly packaged.

Female street merchants can be found selling near traffic lights and at busy intersections. When the light turns red and cars stop, they take the opportunity to sell flowers and other goods to drivers and their passengers.