Rabat – Over the last 50 years, an increase in female access to education in Morocco has led to a decline in women marrying young as well as a drop in the birth rate, according to a recent study published by the High Commissioner for Planning (HCP).
Figures released by the HCP show that the rate of girls aged between seven and 12 who have access to primary school stood at 94.4 percent in 2014. In the 1960s, the rate of Moroccan women who were able to read and write was only 4 percent. This percentage rose to 57.9 percent in 2014, demonstrating an increase of female literacy in the kingdom.
Due to improving education levels among women, the HCP stressed that female participation in the job market in Morocco had increased. The rate of working women grew from around 17 percent in 1982 to 25.1 percent in 2014.
A rise in women’s access to education and presence in the job market has led to an increased use of contraception, thus lowering the birth rate in Morocco.
The HCP revealed that since the rate of fertile women using contraception was first recorded at about 6 percent in the 1960s, the number had continued to increase. In the 1980s,it grew to 19 percent of women, 63 percent in 2004, and 67.4 percent in 2011.
The HCP affirms that family planning and the use of contraception helps reduce the risk of disease and death for both mothers and infants.
Maternal mortality dropped dramatically from 227 deaths per 100,000 births in 2004 to 72.6 in 2016. The infant mortality rate also decreased from 40 per 1,000 births in 2004 to 28.8 in 2010.
