Profile of applicants to General Security posts is an indication that women are stepping out of traditional jobs amidst a weak economy

On May 20th, the directorate general of general security announced an opening for women and men to fill the post of second degree trainee inspector and for men only to fill the post of trainee officer.  Interested candidates go through a process of competitive examination. Although the total of the vacant posts was 500 only, a total of 11595 people applied!  Furthermore, some 6261 candidates applied for the post of trainee officer and 5334 people applied to the post of second degree trainee inspector of whom, 3100 were women.  Indeed, the number of women applicants was high and exceeded that of men for the post of second degree trainee inspector.  According to social science expert, Dania Lakkis, this is yet another indication of women stepping out from the boundaries of traditional jobs.  Lakkis also noted that this indicated a change in the old societal mindset which did not accept women presence in the armed forces.  Indeed, the deteriorating economy and the need for women to help their spouses and families financially have all contributed to this shift in mindsets.
For his part, economic expert, Kamel Kalakech, noted that the extremely high number of applicants is an indicator of a poor economy and dearth of employment opportunities.  He added that the absence of political stability and the current insecurity have decresed the size of investments in the country resulting in low employment opportunities.  Thus, new graduates have no option but to revert to government jobs.
Source: Al-Akhbar 23 July 2014