Morocco ranks 136th in terms of gender parity, says Gender Gap Index

Morocco ranked 136th in terms of gender parity in the most recent World Economic Forum (WEF) Gender Gap Index.

Equal employment for women may lead to a 40% increase in Morocco’s GDP, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the authors of the 2023 African Women’s Voices report.

Access to primary and secondary education for girls has significantly improved over the past 20 years in nations like Morocco and Egypt.

However, women are still largely underrepresented in the workforce, and the main barrier appears to be deeply held attitudes about women’s place in society.

“In Morocco and Egypt, about 50% of respondents believe that women shouldn’t work if their husbands or fathers make enough money to maintain the household.”

In contrast, the report states that only 15% of males and 12% of women in sub-Saharan Africa agree with this opinion.

Nearly 90% of the males polled in this segment claimed that women should attend college more for the purpose of being educated and respected than for the purpose of becoming financially independent, while 39% of women agree.

The economies of these countries do not gain from the educated women, due to the persistence of the misogynistic narrative that emphasizes women’s need to fulfill reproductive function as a priority.

The engagement of women in the job market is strongly impacted by these social norms and gender roles. Morocco has an estimated 20% female labor force participation rate, which ranks 8th lowest globally (139th out of 146 nations).

In addition, 36% of Moroccan women and 33% of Egyptian women are worried about their safety in public.

On a continental scale, Africa’s gender parity ratio (0.69) is currently approaching the world average (0.71).

However, the gender gap index shows that there is a considerable discrepancy among African nations in terms of the ratio of gender gaps, with some nations scoring highly and others scoring poorly.

Rwanda came in at number 6, Namibia at number 8, and South Africa at number 20. Half of the bottom 50 countries in the world rankings are African, with Nigeria coming in at number 123 and the Congo at number 144.

“Africa reduced gender inequalities faster than any other region in the world between 2010 and 2016,” said BCG, adding that the continent needs to intensify its efforts to ensure gender parity.

The report recommends valuing women as economic actors who can create value for their enterprises, communities, and nations, beyond their roles as educators and mothers.

“African Women’s Voices: Reframing the Narrative on Women’s Roles in African Societies” was based on a poll of 6,000 men and women in Morocco, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria.