More than five million people are supported by the State Welfare Organization (SWO), of whom 180,000 are women heads of households. Furthermore, 58,000 women are waiting to be brought under its coverage, said SWO chief, Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpei. The number of female-headed households has more than doubled over a quarter century and seen an upswing from 1.2 million in 1991 to 2.5 million in 2015, indicating a 108% increase, IRNA reported. SWO pays a monthly allowance to women heads of households, but the amount is less than 40% of the country’s minimum wage.
