Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Call for more female participation.

According to the Moroccan High Commissioner for Planning, Ahmed Lahlimi, women's activity rate is too low in Morocco; below 30% compared to 80% for men.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2nd international multidisciplinary colloquium themed "Job Market and Gender in Maghreb Countries," Lahlimi ascribed this rate to the historical passivity women have suffered from in terms of access to knowledge and material autonomy.

This situation is also due to housework that mobilizes a large part of the female labor force, notably in the rural area, he pointed out.

Lahlimi said the Moroccan experience shows that a voluntary policy that adopts social reforms and positive political and institutional discrimination would improve women’s social status.

Organized by the Moroccan High Commissioner for planning, the colloquium examines the conditions of women’s access to job market in a bid to determine the reasons why this access is more restricted to women compared to men in the Maghreb region as well as in Europe for migrating Maghreban women.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Women's activity rate in Morocco is too low??? I don't see anyone BUT women doing most of the work. Oh yes, they are raising children, managing households and even farming rather than contributing to the world of commerce - which the men do nicely by drinking coffee all day.

If the women sit down at computers next, will these men pick up mops and brooms at home?

Anonymous said...

Good comment! The implication that women who stay at home are not "working" is plain silly. If the house work of women was costed at the average weekly wage the amount would be staggering!