Rabat – A new report has once again warned about the persistence of gender gaps in Morocco, as they continue to affect financial decision-making in the country’s households.
genAn Afrobarometer report released on June 7 said that the significant gender inequalities are reflected in both financial decision-making as well as perceptions of “who should be entitled to scarce jobs.”
According to the survey, men (46%) are three times as likely as women (15%) to make financial decisions on how household money is spent.
The survey also looked at different aspects in which gender inequalities persist, including hiring and land ownership.
“A majority of Moroccans say men should be given priority in hiring,” the report added, noting that only a minority believes in gender equality in land ownership.
The survey emphasized that six in 10 Moroccans, or 59% of respondents, believed that men should have more rights to employment than women if jobs are scarce. As little as 36% of respondents endorse equal rights in hiring.
Despite the gaps identified in several fields, the report mentioned that a majority of Moroccans see that women have an equal chance of being elected to public office.
However, that opinion is strongly driven by women themselves. Only 42% of men agree that women should have equal rights of being elected to public offices against 83% of women.
The challenges stemming from gender inequalities also did not prevent two-thirds of the surveyed Moroccans from endorsing the government’s efforts in promoting equal rights and opportunities for women.
“In line with its succession to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women, Morocco has pursued gender equality through legislative texts including its family code, though critics have called for reform of the nearly two-decade-old code,” said the survey.
Last year, Morocco ranked 136th globally and 10th in the MENA region on the Global Gender Gap Index, with a score of 0.624 out of 1..
Morocco, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia recorded a “positive increase” in their 2022 gender gap scores, compared to other countries like Algeria and Oman.
The same report claimed that the MENA region will need 115 years to close its gender gap.
