But Mr Jannati is chairman of the Guardian Council, the powerful 12-man clerical body that vets legislation passed by the Iranian parliament, and is close to the supreme spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
From top-paying occupations to lower-paying fields dominated by women -- such as education, social services, nursing and clerical work -- men consistently earn more.
Meanwhile, a man in clerical vestments holds up a torch to reveal the grey feet of a corpse – the final merciful act is a decent burial.
The conference, held on the East Side of Manhattan, had started when I arrived; a film on the subject was being shown, and, in the darkened room, I found a seat in the last row, next to a man in clerical garb.
Among the large, lively audience were many Russian speakers, including a sizable contingent of men in clerical robes.
It's an ironic omission given that the majority of clerical jobs pioneered by men in the nineteenth century — jobs that were central to the formation of modern bureaucracy — are now performed by women.
Its pages are filled with good-looking young men in clerical garb, posing for the camera.
Belasco's wears a clerical collar (as did the man), and the showgirl's wears a blue dress.
The ambiguity surrounding modern perceptions of the missionaries is captured in a painting, "The Double Face of Colonialism," which depicts a white man wearing a clerical collar and a cowboy hat, carrying both a Bible and a gun.
Whether his 63percentt victory is truly the will of the people or the result of fraud, it demonstrated that Mr. Ahmadinejad is the shrewd and ruthless front man for a clerical, military and political elite that is more unified and emboldened than at any time since the 1979 revolution.
