Das Bildungsniveau von Frauen wird immer höher. Das spiegelt sich allerdings nicht in Erfolg auf dem Arbeitsmarkt wider. Warum? Und was kann dagegen getan werden? Eine Studie der ETF (European Training Foundation, Europäische Stiftung für Berufsbildung) über die Bildung von Frauen und Jobchancen in Ägypten, Jordanien und Tunesien versucht, diese Fragen zu beantworten.
Women and work: Progress in education - challenges in labour market
Women fare better and better in education but their school performance doesn’t translate into success in the labour market. Why? And what can be done about it?
An ETF study on women’s education and employment chances in Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia tried to answer these questions. On 10 December, the results were presented in Rome, at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which financed the project.
The study that involved extensive research, interviews and focus groups with women workers and with the employers in Jordan, Egypt and Tunisia, found that women are more and more educated. However, they still face obstacles when they seek work, try to develop professionally and make careers.
The ETF report lists several conditions that make it difficult for women to enter and stay in the labour market. They include:
- complex transitions from school to work,
- employer prejudices in recruitment,
- segregation at work based on gender and limited promotion opportunities,
- limited chances for professional training, and
- sexual harassment.
On the other hand, there are also positive findings in the ETF study:
- employers begin to recognise the benefits of having women workers,
- employers cite a better image of their companies if they employ women,
- employers say women are more customer-service oriented and can establish better relations with clients, and
- young women feel more confident of being able to take on the job.
"Governments have invested substantially in facilitating girls' and women's access to education in recent years, but if something is not done to facilitate their access to work, this investment will be wasted", said Outi Kärkkäinen, ETF expert and author of the study. "A significant proportion of nations' wealth is being underused and human resources wasted."
The study proposed a number of recommendations. They include communication campaigns to improve the image of working women, facilitating women's transition from school to work through work placements, gender-sensitive career guidance, enforcement of equality laws, and financial support to private businesses.
Finally, the ETF recommends that donors of international assistance take into account gender issues while designing and carrying out their interventions.