Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Morocco’s Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE) has called for stronger efforts to remove barriers that prevent women from fully participating in the labor market.
The council released a statement marking International Women’s Day, stressing the need to create more jobs for women and reduce the wage gap between men and women.
The council recalled findings from its latest annual report, which examines women’s participation in public life and their strategic role in the country’s development. It noted that Morocco has introduced several reforms over the past years to strengthen women’s rights, including the principle of equality and the commitment to gender parity in the 2011 Moroccan Constitution.
While the council acknowledged that these reforms have improved the country’s legal and institutional framework for gender equality, it said a significant gap still exists between the rights guaranteed by law and the reality women face in their daily lives.
Despite progress in education, women’s economic participation remains low. The report found that the economic activity rate for women stands at just 19.1%, compared to 68.6% for men. Unemployment among women is also high, reaching 19.4%. Among women with higher education degrees, about 33.5% remain unemployed.
Read also: Women in Morocco’s Private Sector Earn 42.8% Less Than Men
The council also noted that wage inequalities persist. Women in the private sector earn, on average, about 23% less than men, with the gap exceeding 40% in some industries. More than half of female employees earn less than the legal minimum wage, while about a quarter of working women are unpaid, often working in family businesses or informal jobs.
Domestic responsibilities also play a major role in limiting women’s participation in the workforce. Women spend more than five hours a day on household tasks on average, compared to less than one hour for men. This imbalance reduces their ability to access jobs, engage in civic activities, and participate in politics.
The council also pointed to the low representation of women in decision-making positions within elected institutions, leadership roles, and governance bodies.
To address these challenges, CESE recommended adopting a comprehensive national strategy to increase women’s economic participation to 45% by 2035. The council also called for expanded childcare services, safer transportation, flexible working hours, and incentives for companies to hire more women.
It also stressed the importance of recognizing and developing the care economy, which could create jobs while supporting gender equality.
