Emphasizing positive discrimination for women in the workforce [Archives:2007/1037/Business & Economy]

The role women play in the economy continues to be a concern for development work, especially when female participation in the workforce is as low as 21.8 percent, compared to men's participation, which stands at 69.9 percent (1999 figures).

However, the International Labor Organization's 2002-2003 Labor Demand survey estimates that the supply of women for the labor market is increasing by 5.3 percent, compared to 3.3 percent for men.

This isn't all good news, as women's participation in the workforce remains significantly smaller than that of men, which may be attributed to existing assumptions of the role women should play in society and in the economy, with special reference to the restraints upon women to do mainly domestic work, which is mostly unpaid.

However, most women with paid employment work in the private sector, accounting for 29.3 percent of the workforce, distributed mainly in agriculture, education, health services and social work.

It can be concluded that women are concentrated in sectors traditionally associated with their gender roles, especially community, social and personal services, whereas men dominate better-paying job sectors in financial and business services and real estate.

Gender segregation regarding occupations remains high in Yemen, with women mainly occupying jobs as clerics, secretaries, customer service representatives, tellers, teachers, nurses and domestic workers, aside from working on their family's agricultural land.

Even for those women qualified enough to compete for better-paying jobs, it was found that the average female wage is still only 88 percent, compared to the average male wage.

Such discrimination against women emphasizes the importance of reforming existing policies and programs to enhance women's employment and labor force participation, as well as promote gender equality in order to ensure equal outcomes and equal shares between men and women. In this way, all individuals are treated with dignity and allowed to develop their full potential, thus leading to a higher quality of life for all.

Data Source: ILO
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