Al-Khamar Al-Mrabet, head of the Authenticity and Modernity Group in the House of Councillors, said: “The main reason behind the low rates of women’s participation in economic activities in our country stems from a range of social and cultural factors, which negatively impacts women’s status in society, despite the important civic roles women play in contributing to the improvement of development indicators in the Kingdom of Morocco.”
During the oral question session held today, Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at the House of Advisors, Al-Mrabet added that the inability of labor market actors to create jobs suitable for women complicates the measures and procedures the government is striving to implement in order to achieve the objectives of the “Bridge to Empowerment and Leadership” program, which aims to facilitate women’s economic empowerment.
The parliamentary advisor stated, “The United Nations has worked on the premise that women’s economic empowerment, their ability to succeed and advance economically, and their authority to make economic decisions and take action on them, is what has led it to urge states to develop fundamental programs to boost economic activity, as this is a fundamental and universal right that all female citizens must enjoy on an equal footing and without any discrimination.”
Al-Mrabet highlighted the objectives pursued by the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States in the area of women’s economic empowerment, including strengthening the capacity of national institutions to provide gender-sensitive services related to economic empowerment, as well as promoting decent work and productive employment by addressing the structural causes of inequality faced by women, in addition to fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship among women, reducing barriers, and contributing to the creation of an environment conducive to the development of entrepreneurship.
The head of the PAM group in the House of Councillors highlighted the comprehensive vision outlined by the relevant ministry to enable women to enjoy their universal and constitutional right to participate in economic and social activities, in line with the royal directives calling for efforts to promote and strengthen programs aimed at the development of the Kingdom, a cause to which every Moroccan man and woman must contribute, in accordance with His Majesty’s wishes as expressed in his royal address on the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the Glorious Throne Day.
Edited by: Sarah Al-Ramshi / Photography by: Yassin Al-Zahrawi