AMMAN — Launched on Thursday under the patronage
of Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh, the World Bank Group’s second State of the
Mashreq Women Report, titled “Who Cares? Care Work and
Women’s Labor Market Outcomes in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon” examines the
potential for care policies to improve
women’s labor market outcomes in a
region where female labor force participation is among the lowest in the
world.
اضافة اعلان
According to a press statement, the burden of unpaid
care work falls disproportionately on the shoulders of women in the Mashreq countries
of Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. Short of appropriate support mechanisms within
their households or from the state,
women in these countries often find
themselves having to choose between staying out of the labor market or working
in a double shift, at home and in the workplace.
While the structure and generosity of leave policies
vary across countries of the Mashreq, they generally reinforce gendered
allocation of care responsibilities.
Childcare costsMoreover, with limited free public service provision
and financial support to households, quality childcare services on the market
are largely unaffordable.
“Supporting the development of the care sector would have tremendous benefits for children, parents, and the overall economies of Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.”
For many mothers, especially for those with lower
education, the cost of childcare services available in the market constitutes a
sizeable share of actual or potential labor market earnings, ranging from 25
percent in Jordan to more than 100 percent in Lebanon. As a result, enrollment
in childcare services remains low in Mashreq countries.
Developing the care sector“Existing care policies in Mashreq are not well
aligned with the objective of
supporting women and mothers who wish to stay or
join the labor market,” said Jean-Christophe Carret, World Bank
Mashreq Country Director. “Supporting
the development of the care sector would have tremendous benefits for children,
parents, and the overall economies of Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.”
Every day, mothers in Mashreq spend
twice as much time as fathers taking care of children and three times as much time as fathers
on domestic chores. For mothers who are employed, their typical “workday” —
taking into consideration both paid and unpaid work — is 12 to 14 hours long.
Not surprisingly, for every hour that a woman spends on unpaid care work, the
probability of her being active in the labor market decreases by 1 to 3
percentage points.
'Untapped demand’ for childcare“There is untapped demand for quality and affordable
childcare services,” said Silvia Redaelli, Senior Economist and one of the
authors of the report.
“Addressing existing constraints at the level of the
supply of quality and affordable services can lead to sizeable improvements in
female labor force participation and employment.”
Despite prevailing gender norms that expect mothers
to be the prime caretaker, many mothers of children below primary school age
who are currently not using any sort of childcare services would be interested
in using them if available and in joining the labor market.
Meeting untapped demand for childcare services in
Jordan and Lebanon could increase female labor force participation by 7
percentage points if provided for free, and by 2 percentage points if available
for pay. In Iraq, the impact of increasing childcare services on female labor
force participation is more limited, with an expected increase of only 1.7
percentage points if childcare would be provided for free and by 0.5 percentage
points if available for pay.
The report further showed that more than 50 percent
of women in Jordan and Lebanon, and about 16 percent in Iraq, express interest
in working in the care sector, either by starting a daycare business and/or
working for pay (full time or part time) in a daycare center.
RecommendationsBased on the analysis and a review of international
best practice, the report identifies the need for a three-pronged approach to
achieve: more equitable distribution of the unpaid care work burden within
the household; improved
state support to address households’ care needs, particularly for the most
vulnerable households; and an enabling environment for efficient provision
of quality childcare services.
“Addressing existing constraints at the level of the supply of quality and affordable services can lead to sizeable improvements in female labor force participation and employment.”
This second State of the Mashreq Women
report was produced as part of the
Mashreq Gender Facility, a World Bank/IFC initiative that
provides technical assistance to Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon to enhance women’s
economic opportunities as a catalyst towards more inclusive, sustainable, and
peaceful societies, where economic growth benefits all.
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