Economic crisis raises redundancy rate among women in Arab region

Although efforts to promote gender equality have gained momentum over the years, widespread discrimination persists when it comes to employment opportunities for women, according to a new report.

The report pointed out that women have been hit harder than men by the economic recession, with global redundancy rate among women rising 2.5 per cent or almost twice the rate for men during the past year.

It further noted that it has not been a lack of determination that has caused the decline in employment opportunities for women. In fact, studies have shown that up to 77 per cent of female middle managers around the world aim for senior-level positions in their respective companies; unfortunately, barely a quarter are able to achieve their goals.

TalentRepublic.net cited a recent study showing that up to 60 per cent of working mothers across all income and education levels - up 12 percentage points since 1997 - do not want to give up their working status, preferring to work part-time. However, only a quarter of them are actually able to find part-time jobs.

In the Arab world, women have been achieving progress in terms of access to education, although this has not translated into more employment opportunities. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, women account for 56.5 per cent of the total number of graduates, outnumbering their male counterparts.

Jobs in the private sector, however, have remained relatively scarce for women, prompting the Saudi government to issue a new policy allocating up to one-third of all government jobs to women.

A leading cause of the relatively unfavourable job market opportunities for women is the lack of supportive policies and infrastructure to address the distinct requirements of women professionals.

Specifically, the report noted that the absence of a more diversified professional services market catering to distinct women requirements such as childcare support continue to limit the ability of women to combine work and family responsibilities.

The report pointed out that the present economic realities actually do reveal the strong potential of women to succeed in the male-dominated job market.