Although the gender gap in education has been bridged and women have a significant presence in schools and universities, the difference between men and women in employment is still huge, says Vahide Negin, women’s affairs advisor to the labor minister.
Considerable effort is needed to strengthen the domestic economy and women who are half the population can be a massive labor force and should not be ignored, Negin said in an interview with ISNA.
“Nearly 81% of the insured at the Social Security Organization are men and 19% women,” Negin said, explaining that one of the reasons for such a huge difference is that more women work at unofficial workplaces than men and they don’t find mention in the national accounts.
“If the Labor Ministry can introduce contract, unofficial and part-time jobs under the cover of Social Security Insurance, the situation of women’s employment would be much more organized.”
Pointing to studies which demonstrate that women pay more for education and health in a family, she said women’s employment can be beneficial and uplift families.
Statistics show that participation of women in the labor market rose steadily in the 1997-2005 period, from 10% to 17%. However, the rate declined in the 2005-2013 period, from 17% to 10%, under the two terms of the previous government.
But since summer 2013, when President Hassan Rouhani came to power, the rate has increased about 2% and is forecast to grow in the upcoming years.
In Europe, women’s participation in employment has been moving upward in recent years. Turkey, with 29.5% participation rate has one of the lowest rates in Europe, whereas Greece with 41.9%, Norway with 73.8%, Switzerland with 76% and Iceland with 78.5%, have one of the highest.
