Only 26 % of Lebanese women participate in a deficient economy

The Daily Star published a report about Lebanese women in the workforce, pointing out that even though women continue to outnumber men in higher education, they are still underrepresented in the workplace due to many factors namely, social norms, discrimination by employers and an inhospitable economy. The report noted that the most recent World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual Gender Gap Report issued in October 2014, found that only 26 percent of women in working-age are in the workforce in Lebanon, compared to 76 percent for men. Some 70 percent of working women are in the services industry, and there are few women legislators, senior officials and managers.  Another study conducted by the Collective for Research and Training on Development – Action (CRTD.A) on women in the labor force in Lebanon found that social norms limited women’s professional activity and some women preferred to stay at home, rather than fulfill career aspirations. The report also noted that the law and the economy play a factor in making the labor market a suitable environment for women, noting that many current labor laws are discriminatory to women.
In addition to the above, economist Muna Khalaf, told the newspaper that entering the labor force comes with its own set of difficulties, where women have too many consideration before accepting a job such as the flexibility of the work, the proximity of the workplace to home and the availability of day care centres, in addition to the fact that priority in hiring is given to men in general. For his part, Nassib Ghobril, a senior economist at Byblos Bank, believed that Lebanon has many capable women in the labor force, and questioned the methodology that had been used in the WEF’s mentioned report. Economist Kamal Hamdan said that the main issue was that the Lebanese economy did not create jobs that were suitable for highly educated women, noting that, 70 percent of investment in Lebanon is going to the construction sector which does not provide jobs for highly educated graduates, who were mostly women.
Source: The Daily Star 8 December 2014