392 thousand families headed by women

Al - Anbat - Roaa - Al - Zoubi

Translated by - Neveen - Al - Jarrah 

Mansour: Bias against women in the economic field

On the occasion of International Women's Day, which falls on next Wednesday, women in Jordan are considered the most vulnerable to negative economic impact, due to the absence of gender justice in the use of resources and the exercise of rights, in addition to the weakness of governance in making their voice heard in the development and economic decision-making process.

The Higher Council for Housing indicated in its latest statistics in 2022 that women constitute 47% of the total population of the Kingdom, and the number of families headed by women reached about 392 thousand families, or 17.5% of the total Jordanian families for the year 2020.

In turn, the former Minister of Economy, Yousef Mansour, commented on these ratios to "Al- Anbat", that 17% of working women support their families due to the difficult living conditions and social status, and the lack of assistance to Jordan's economy, in addition to the fact that the families headed by women have a lower monthly income than the families supported by them. Men at a rate of 70% to 100%, this gap is caused by gender discrimination by employers, and their view of some details that restrict them, including maternity leave and domestic responsibilities, and this indicates the employer’s view of women as if they are looking for work as tourists without the need, without looking at their work Seriously and important, although women have proven themselves in many distinct sectors.

And he showed that there is bias against women in the economic field and through employers, and evidence of this is when an economic downturn occurs, employers resort to hiring women for less than men’s wages, because they know and exploit women’s need for a monthly income that supports her and her family.

Mansour mentioned that the Labor Law, in the event that there are 20 married female employees, must provide custody of the children, and this matter is an additional cost for the employer, in addition to the existence of other obstacles that limit women from work, such as arduous and expensive transportation, in addition to the time it takes the employee to reach work.