The Iranian parliament has rejected by a big majority a bill which would have allowed women the same inheritance rights as men.

A conservative deputy Mohammad Reza Faaker said the proposal was contrary to Islamic law, which stipulated that a woman's share could be only half that of a man.

The BBC Iranian Affairs correspondent says the vote comes as a big disappointment to women's groups which have been conducting a long campaign to have the inheritance law changed.

Our correspondent says women have achieved changes in other areas in recent years, however, including a ruling last year which increased women's rights to custody of their children after a divorce.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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