Development Plans and Women's Issues: The Challenge of Policymakers’ Problem Framing, Idealism, and Discursive Conflict

Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran's six national development plans have consistently prioritized women as a key target group.Official statistics highlight significant progress in women's health and education, yet economic and political participation remain limited, with Iran ranking 144th and 143rd globally in these domains among 146 countries (World Economic Forum, 2024).This study critically examines the shortcomings of these plans in addressing women's issues through gender and development theories, drawing on the lived experiences of 18 experts and policymakers in women's policy formulation.Using a descriptive phenomenological approach and semi-structured interviews conducted in 2022, the research identified 55 concepts, synthesized into 10 subthemes and 3 main themes: (1) conceptual and epistemological challenges, (2) planning and implementation barriers, and (3) deficits in monitoring, evaluation, and impact assessment.The most critical challenge is the lack of consensus on gender concepts, exacerbated by conflating women's roles with family duties and reductionist views limiting women's agency.Political rivalries and frequent administrative changes disrupt program continuity, while inadequate monitoring systems and politicized gender metrics undermine accountability.These factors, combined with partisan discourse eroding past achievements, have weakened public trust in the transformative potential of development initiatives, particularly among women.The study underscores the need for theoretical clarity, robust institutional frameworks, and inclusive policymaking to achieve equitable and sustainable development for women in Iran.