Social Security Corporation holds women organisations’ symposium in Ghor Safi

AMMAN — The Social Security Corporation’s (SSC) media centre on Tuesday held a dialogue on women’s rights to social security with representatives from several women’s associations, ministries and official institutions, a SSC statement said.

Held at the Princess Basma Hall in Ghor el Safi in southern Jordan, the event started out with the presentation of a working paper titled “The Role of Social Security in Women’s Social Protection” by SSC spokesman and director of the SSC media centre, Mousa Subaihi. 

Subaihi stressed the significant role of social security in protecting and empowering women, both economically and socially, urging working women to know more about their rights to social security when they get hired and to make sure they are included under the social security umbrella, the statement said. 

He stressed that women’s unemployment and lower rates of labour force participation negatively impact the coverage level of social security system, ultimately weakening the levels of social protection in society. 

According to Subaihi, the rates of women’s contributions to social security system are still low with only 28 per cent (351,000) of female contributors and only 16 per cent (about 33.000) of pensioners being females, according to the statement. 

He suggested the implementation of effective mechanisms liaising between the policies of SSC policies and institutions' hiring policies in order to enforce Jordanian women’s empowerment. 

Presenting the second working paper dubbed "Women’s Special Benefits in Social Security Law”, Mai Al Qatawneh, SSC director general of Insurance and medical Committees stressed that the social security law impartially reached all contributors regardless of their gender, respecting the principles of equality and non-discrimination in terms of rights and duties, the statement read. 

Men and women equally receive SSC benefits and services including retirement pensions in all its forms: old-age, compulsory, early, disability, and death pensions. In addition, women receive special treatments such as maternity insurance and age of retirement, she said. 

The dialogue concluded with a working paper titled “Maternity Insurance and Women’s Voluntary Contribution” submitted by Mahmoud Al Hiyari from the department of Insurance Awareness in the media centre. 

Hiyari showed that SSC had already empowered a large number of female contributors, providing them with protection in the events of disability or death. 

He concluded his presentation with a full explanation on maternity insurance, its importance to working women, principles, and procedures, the statement concluded.