Ms Muna Abbas:

I will start with the fact that the Middle East is a data desert. It is really hard to find accurate data and analyse that data. We always face this problem when we try to analyse a certain problem or collect evidence. The existing data shows that women are not participating in the workforce. Jordan has one of the lowest rates globally in this area. The unemployment rate for women in Jordan is very high and the employment rate for women is one of the lowest in the region and globally. It is a complicated problem and we need to come up with comprehensive multidimensional solutions. Education is part of it. We need to redirect education to respond to market needs. We also need to work on raising awareness among families and communities about the need to give more space to women to participate, to get out and to be engaged economically because many women report that they are not allowed to do so by family members, husbands or elderly people in the family.

It is also about enforcing laws and legislation that relate to workplace safety and safeguarding in the workplace. For example, we do not have systems for reporting harassment in the workplace. We cannot capture the data. Women do not report it. There is no system for reporting. It is a complicated problem and we need to come up with comprehensive solutions. Education is key. We all know that it is life-changing and life-saving but we need to direct our education programmes to be responsive to market needs. Covid gave us a lot of learning opportunities such as using technology and being connected on a national level to training courses and programmes women do not need to attend physically because transport is expensive and sometimes it is not safe to travel from one place to another. Technology is giving us a lot of opportunity but so far, it has been underutilised. It can be life-changing for women.