Khaberni - The Vice President of the World Bank Group for the Middle East and North Africa, Ousmane Dioun, said that Jordan is one of the countries that have achieved significant progress in the world in reforms aimed at economically empowering women, pointing out that among these measures is setting a quota of 20% for women in company boards, allowing flexible work arrangements, and protecting pregnant workers from dismissal.
Dioun explained that the World Bank's recent report "Women, Business and the Law" showed that Jordan, Egypt, and Oman are among six countries around the world making the most progress in reforms related to economically empowering women.
He mentioned that the World Bank Group has been working for a long time with the Jordanian government to support evidence-based and sequenced reforms aimed at lifting restrictions that limit women's work using a set of analytical and executive tools.
Among these efforts, Dioun highlighted the support for reforms to license childcare centers and build capacities for nurseries and childcare service providers, in addition to supporting women's entrepreneurship and enhancing financial inclusion through grants and incentives directed to the private sector, especially companies owned or led by women.
He also referred to the role of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in working with the private sector to enhance employment and leadership opportunities for women, explaining that within the framework of the Women's Empowerment Program in the Levant, the capacities of 280 large companies in Jordan and Lebanon were built to enhance the attraction, retention, and promotion of women in the labor market through mutual learning platforms.
He added that the institution also supported 20 large companies in the Levant countries to develop human resources tools related to diversity and gender equality, and helped employers assess and expand childcare support services for employees, benefiting more than 10,000 employees.
In a broader context, Dioun emphasized that fully leveraging the workforce is an essential element for building more inclusive societies and raising living standards in the Middle East and North Africa and Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), noting that despite significant progress in women's education, only about 20% of working-age women participate in the workforce.
He pointed out that closing the employment gap between genders could raise per capita GDP by about 50% in the long term in the typical economy of the region, according to World Bank reports, which he described as a major transformation not only for women but also for societies and economies as a whole.
He explained that the obstacles to women's work range from supply-related factors such as the lack of childcare services or transportation and contextual factors such as inequality in laws, noting that adopting a comprehensive strategy to address these obstacles can improve employment outcomes.
He gave an example of Saudi Arabia, which saw an increase in women's participation in the labor market after implementing legal reforms and programs to increase female employment and communication campaigns, and structural changes in the economy, where women’s participation rose from 17.4% in 2017 to 36.3% by 2025.
He pointed out that the "Women, Business and the Law" report shows that women are more likely to join the workforce in countries where women have stronger legal protection of their economic rights.
He added that the average rating of legal frameworks in the region is 43 points compared to a global average of 67 points, while the rating is 47 in Pakistan and 5 in Afghanistan, despite positive trends and ongoing reforms in the region.
He pointed out that the report highlights reforms undertaken by several countries in the region, where Egypt removed restrictions on women's work in certain jobs and nighttime hours, adopted the principle of equal pay, increased paid maternity leave, introduced paid paternity leave, and allowed flexible work.
He also mentioned that Oman transferred the responsibility for paying maternity leave to the government, improved survivor benefits, and adjusted women’s pension calculations.
Despite these reforms, Dioun explained that having strong laws is only part of the solution, as actual progress depends on the implementation of these laws on the ground, noting that the region still faces a gap between written legal equality and actual implementation, where the score of supporting frameworks is 36 points compared to a global average of 47 points.
In conclusion, he pointed out that the region is experiencing conflicts, emphasizing that legal measures and policies that address issues such as violence against women are necessary for their safety and well-being, especially in fragile and conflict-affected environments.
He stressed the importance of recognizing that conflicts and violence affect men and women differently, both directly and indirectly, reaffirming the World Bank's commitment to supporting actions that protect women and turn rights into tangible reality, unleashing the potential of every woman and girl, and contributing to building a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.
