Women struggle to cope with scarcity of jobs

Maya Abed, a 45-year old widow, kept glancing at her five children as she spoke about her desperate search for a job in an increasingly competitive job market in the Syrian capital of Damascus. "Wherever I applied or made a phone call, I was rejected," she said. "They all wanted someone young for the job – 22 to 35 years, not a middle aged mother of five children. "They believe that age and family responsibilities are not good for productivity at work. They say my mind would always be preoccupied with my children," she added. Maya did not obtain a high school diploma after her parents forced her into a traditionally arranged marriage while she was still in her teens. "On top of that, I do not have computer or language skills. Even factories are now asking for young workers [who are] fit and ready to do anything they want," Maya said. Now living on her husband’s pension and some family support, all totaling around 3,000 Syrian pounds a month (US $60), life has been tough for Maya and her family in their modest house located in Old Damascus. Maya is not alone. While she blames her failure to complete school partly for lack of a job, other Syrian women have fared worse. Hana Mohamad, 26, said finding a job where she could use what she learned at a banking institute for two years has been very difficult. "I applied everywhere, but it is a limited market," she said. "There are not many private banks in Syria and the government-owned ones are not hiring. "After a long search for four years, I decided to work at a clothing factory as a part-timer. I earn about 3,000 Syrian pounds. It is so frustrating and sad to do this job while I know I can do more," she added. "I look at myself and get angry when I see that I ended up doing a routine work that does not challenge my brain." Experts say the market has been affected negatively by Syria's economic slow-down and reduced oil exports – a major source of income. Recent political events in the Middle East including the influx of workers back home after Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon, have also bloated the market. RISING UNEMPLOYMENT According to official statistics from the Syrian Central Bureau of Statistics, unemployment reached about 12 percent in 2004. Unofficial estimates by economists, however, put it closer to 20 percent. The government figures, published in a national report, said women constituted 27 percent of the labor force in the public and private sectors, but about 30 percent of the women aged 20-24 were unemployed. "Around 200,000 Syrians become jobless every year. Despite the fact that the female literacy rate is 74.2 percent and male literacy 91 percent, women stay at home to take care of their families’ responsibilities and childcare," stated a study by Syrian economists which was recently published in the official ‘Tishreen’ newspaper. "Women and men’s contribution in society is still extremely traditional," it noted. The research expressed fears that the rising unemployment would affect women more, although the Syrian legislative has tried to ensure equality between men and women in some aspects of work such as pay, career development, training and promotions. The reality, the researchers said, was that women in Syria did not have adequate training in vocational programmes and had limited work experience and low educational levels. As a result their average annual income was about 1,584 Syrian pounds (US $30) compared to men who earned 5,534 Syrian pounds (US $106). "Men continue to fill jobs in the private sector, enjoy security of employment and have [more] opportunities to advance," the study stated. For example, it added, most private sector jobs offered less pay to women and did not provide as many benefits or training prospects. Economists say while Syria is trying to rehabilitate its socialist economy, its efforts to liberalise its markets have been very slow. As a result, industries continue to be protected, private banks are only beginning to be licensed and foreign exchange rates continue to be controlled by the central bank – which discourages investment. UNDP TRAINING PROGRAMMES Among the organisations trying to help the situation is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). According Reem Tanta of UNDP Syria, they have developed a programme to include gender equality in all economic projects and help women become more qualified for the job market. "We aim at improving their training and participation in the job market," she said. "We also aim [to] include women in all areas of development projects by the UNDP, such as those assigned to fight poverty, protect the environment, raise media awareness and improve business development and governance. Women should be considered as an equal partner in the development process." The UNDP has over 40 projects in Syria, many of which are carried out in cooperation with the government. "[Some] measures have been taken to improve women’s rights in Syria such as reviewing legislative and discriminatory laws, especially in terms of economic rights. We will examine norms and traditions as obstacles to women’s economic participation," Tanta said. "We will organise training programmes to raise awareness at the local community level about women participation in education, work and inheritance [and] take some experiences from other Arab countries such as Egypt and Tunisia," she added.