UN Day for Seniors: Moroccan Elderly Women More Vulnerable to Violence

Rabat – One in three older Moroccan women reported experiencing physical or emotional violence resulting from their overall dependency on other family members.

Older Moroccan women are overall more likely than their male counterparts to slide into vulnerability as they grow older, become dependent on other family members, and spend the last years of their lives living alone without a spouse.

According to a new report from the state-owned economic intelligence institution, the Higher Commission for Planning (HCP), female senior citizens vulnerability is further exacerbated by their low level of participation in the labor force and their increased exposure to chronic diseases. As of 2021, only 9.4% of elderly women occupy a job position, against 38.4% of men.

The high level of vulnerability of women in Morocco is mainly due to their low levels of participation in the labor force at a younger age, the HCP report notes. Traditionally, Moroccan women are expected to take up domestic duties and care for children, while men are the breadwinners. Even in 2022, this mentality is still prevailing and putting Morocco on the list of countries with the lowest female participation in the labor market.

Morocco ranks 167 internally in terms of female labor participation. With only 22% of the active female population in the labor force, the country is trailing behind that are highly controversial countries on the question of women’s rights such as Saudi Arabia, data suggests.

As women are less likely to enter the job market, they are naturally less likely to have healthcare coverage. The HCP report points out that almost 32% of older women in Morocco have no form of healthcare coverage, the rate drops to 23% for older men.

While women are less likely to have health coverage at a later stage of their lives, they are unfortunately more likely to suffer from chronic diseases. 73% of older women suffer from at least one chronic disease, against 55% of men.

The data on older women in Morocco reflects a much deeper socio-economic issue relating to the deteriorating living conditions in conservative societies.