Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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08AMMAN1523 | 2008-05-19 13:01:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Amman |
VZCZCXRO7577 RR RUEHLMC DE RUEHAM #1523/01 1401301 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 191301Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY AMMAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2656 INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 5980 RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 2852 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 3652 RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 3880 RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 0887 RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1952 RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 1188 RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 5026 RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 AMMAN 001523 |
1. SUMMARY: Significant financial, cultural, and social challenges face women who seek employment in Jordan, resulting in less than 15% of Jordanian women being active in the formal economy. Traditional roles within the family heavily affect a woman's decision to work. Many businesses and human development organizations, however, have found ways to provide women the support and resources necessary to overcome these challenges. The progress that has been made through labor legislation, and the development of government strategies to promote female employment, suggests that the environment for the Jordanian working woman will be more supportive in the future. In addition, trends in Jordan's economy have made it imperative that women begin to work, leading to a necessary change in perception towards the role of women as they enter the workforce. END SUMMARY. Employment Stats for Women: Room for Improvement -------------------------- --- 2. The 2007 Department of Statistics employment survey shows that only 14.7% of women over the age of 15 in Jordan, compared to 64.4% of men, are economically active. NOTE: "Economically active" is defined as those who are currently working, or are unemployed but seeking work. END NOTE. In comparison, economic activity rates for women in the region neared a 33% average, with Kuwait leading at 49% according to the UNDP 2007 Indices of Human Development and the International Labor Organization's (ILO) 2008 "Global Employment Trends for Women" report. Out of the economically active women, 25.6% are unemployed, compared to only 10.3% of men. Among economically inactive women, one-fourth cite cultural and social challenges as the main reason for not participating economically, while others believe there is no work available or they are not qualified to work. 3. Women who have entered Jordan's workforce come from all socio-economic classes and from both urban and rural environments. DOS statistics show that women work across industries, the top three being education (40.9%), health and social work (15.1%), and manufacturing (8.1%). While they also dominate the "informal sector," meaning businesses in or related to the home, there are many successful women making their marks in male-dominated sectors as well, such as information technology, government, and finance. Entrepreneurship among women is low, with women-owned businesses accounting for only 4% of all businesses. Effects of social and family attitudes -------------------------- 4. Employment challenges facing Jordanian women appear to be largely based on social and family attitudes regarding gender roles. Jordan is traditionally a patriarchal society, in which men hold the power in the workforce and in the household. Arije Al-Amad, General Manager for Microfund for Women (MFW), pointed out that the ability for the woman to go out and seek employment is ultimately the decision of her father, husband, or even brother. There is also a tendency in this culture for the woman to be regarded solely as a homemaker, with the husband acting as breadwinner. In fact, according to a recent study by the National Centre for Human Resources Development (NCHRD), women tend to predominate in jobs that are closely associated with their more traditional roles in the household, such as sewing, food production, or "care" provision jobs, such as nursing and teaching. 5. Dr. Musa Shteiwi, Director of the Jordan Center for Social Research, explained to emboff that socially, the daughter is a protected entity. Many families follow their daughters through schooling, employment, and marriage, making the daughter's decisions for her along the way. According to Shteiwi, the desired result is that the daughter gets married and takes care of the family. There are laws and regulations that preserve this cultural norm, such as the Passport Law No. 2 that women cannot obtain a passport without the expressed consent of her guardian. Even with the current Provisional Law No. 5 that allows women to obtain a passport and travel without this consent, a recent report by Freedom House asserted that the government still honors the old law, making it difficult for women to travel freely. Doha Abdelkhaleq, Founder and AMMAN 00001523 002 OF 004 CEO of ESKADENIA Software, stated that these old laws act as a barrier to a woman's entry into the workforce, by forcing women to take jobs that are socially acceptable and pass up potential opportunities. She remarked that an overprotective society holds a woman back from being truly successful in business. 6. Many employment programs are looking to the family dynamic to create positive perceptions of women working. One such project is USAID-Siyaha, a project that develops awareness for the tourism industry and positioning it as the premier sector for employment, especially among women. According to official figures, only 10% of all tourism employees are women, mostly due to the fact that the tourism industry often requires women to have direct contact with male hotel guests and restaurant clients, something that is socially unacceptable for a significant segment of Jordan's population. In an effort to bring more women into this industry, Siyaha invited rural and urban students and their families to information sessions, which included visits to top hotels. After the event, 90% of the families positively supported their daughters' interest in entering the field. Today, 83% of students enrolled in vocational training courses in hotel and tourism programs are women. High Turnover Among Married Women -------------------------- 7. It is difficult for women to overcome certain gender-specific perceptions, such as the alleged "unreliability" of married female workers. It was found that most women do not sustain long-term careers, with the majority of the female workforce under 29 years of age, and 48.3% of working women being single. Therefore, it is a common perception that women are disloyal employees who will quit when they get married. 68% of employers demonstrated a marked preference in the NCHRD study for hiring unmarried female workers specifically due to this reason. The study also stipulated that there is discrimination against married women in terms of promotions due to the general belief that they will not be as committed to their jobs as married male employees. The study asserted that as a result, employers offer lower wages to women than men for the same jobs, a move that deters women from entering the labor market. 8. High turnover among female employees, who leave the job once they become engaged or pregnant, has been a complaint of garment factory owners in the Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs), where women represent over half of approximately 15,000 Jordanian employees. Many of the QIZ factories have tried to recruit more unskilled female workers from rural areas but have found it challenging. Cultural norms again play a strong role, with some families not wanting their daughters or wives working in a factory environment. Factories have tried to use current female employees in recruitment activities to ease families' concerns. Additionally, many of the QIZs are located far away from the villages, and despite factory-provided bus transportation, the travel time and distance from home are a deterrent. In order to overcome these challenges and encourage more female employment, the Jordanian government and private sector have embarked on a new initiative to set up satellite factories in rural areas of high female unemployment. Lack of Access to Benefits and Capital -------------------------- 9. Jordanian women have suffered from inequality in access to social security and pension benefits. As the 2005 World Bank study, "Economic Advancement of Women in Jordan," pointed out, pension and social security rules do not provide the same benefit structure for working women as they do for men. For example, male employees are eligible for family tax allowances regardless of whether their wives work, whereas female employees - despite contributing at the same rate - must demonstrate that their husbands are deceased, old, or incapacitated to qualify for government benefits. Furthermore, men can pass on their pensions to their families upon their death, while women cannot. The study mentioned that this inequality in employment benefits not only acts a deterrent for some women to get a job, but also devalues the importance of the woman to the workforce. 10. Another perception relates to women as entrepreneurs. Many women need to stay in the home, creating an opportunity for these AMMAN 00001523 003 OF 004 women to start businesses, which could require significant funding. Many banks, however, regard women differently because of their lack of access to collateral, something that differentiates them from men. Suhair Al-Ali, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, noted at a recent conference promoting female access to capital that banks are reluctant to lend to women because they believe they lack managerial and business skills and experience. She also noted that women are viewed as high risk borrowers, due to their dependency status. As a result, many banks require a male guardian's guarantee before a woman can receive a loan. 11. To overcome these challenges, Jordan has several microfinance institutions that cater to a woman's financial needs. One such institution, MFW, is a microfinance institution that provides women entrepreneurs with sustainable financial and non-financial services. MFW currently has 35,000 active clients, 97% of which are women. In total, they have disbursed approximately $32 million in loans, the average loan per business being $600, which can be renewed. MFM boasts a 99.6% payback rate, and an 83% retention rate of its clients. Other institutions with successful micro credit programs for women are the Jordan Micro Credit Company (JMCC), the Middle East Micro Credit Company (MEMCC), and the Ahli Micro Credit Company (AMCC). Many of these programs began with USAID-funding and have since become self-sustainable. Women have received over 50% of all microfinance loans distributed in Jordan since 2005. Trying to Find Jobs that Accommodate Work and Career -------------------------- -------------------------- 12. Given the social challenges and traditional gender roles in Jordan, many women aim to work in the public rather than private sector. The Jordanian civil service tends to offer competitive salaries and better working hours, giving women enough time to take care of the family and maintain a fulfilling career. Public sector jobs also offer maternity benefits, which act as an incentive for a woman to return to work after a child is born. Socially, the public sector careers in the "care fields," such as health care, education, and social sciences, are regarded as better for a woman, as the interactions with society follow a woman's traditional role. Shteiwi points out that the social sciences in Jordan's universities are "feminized and ruralized," with 90% of his students being women from the rural areas, where gender roles are maintained. 13. Other women choose to operate businesses from home, again factoring the family needs into economic decisions. 63% of informal sector businesses are owned by women. Many of these businesses focus on the home and include food production, handicrafts, or trade of clothes and goods. According to Winkie Williamson, Strategic Advisor to the Jordan Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD), however, there is a 50% chance of business failure for these women within six months. In addition, she mentioned that the handicraft market is oversaturated, with a high supply and limited numbers of tourist customers. This makes fewer opportunities for women to be successful in the handicraft trade in Jordan. Promoting Women in the Workforce -------------------------- 14. Software entrepreneur Abdelkhaleq believes that there are no barriers to women in business, but rather a lack of points of entry. Many women think that they cannot succeed in the private sector due to family concerns mentioned above. She opines, however, that the main reason for women not entering the private sector has to do with the lack of positive female role models, already successful in business. Many organizations, such as CISCO Systems, have recognized this and have implemented programs that mentor women in underrepresented job fields. With the help of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), CISCO created an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Academy specifically targeted to high school and college age women. This academy provides field training and mentor encouragement, and provides each student with a certification in CISCO computer systems upon graduation. 15. With inflation increasing the prices of basic commodities in Jordan (ref A), all interlocutors recognized the growing importance of a woman's income to her family. Because of the rising cost of living, the tendency to view a wife solely as a homemaker and mother AMMAN 00001523 004 OF 004 is changing. Recent survey research indicates that young people are increasingly concerned about economic pressures and how to make ends meet on just one salary. The 2005 World Bank study points out that "young men realize that they are less able to afford marriage and, thus, seek wives who can earn an income." Visit Amman's Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/amman Hale |