Gov’t ought to support women in workplace more – policy paper

AMMAN — The definition of “the head of the household” should be expanded to include a larger set of social categories, particularly women, according to a policy paper that was recently prepared by a group of local entities and experts.

“The existing standards rarely recognise women’s role as economic providers and exclude a majority of working women from government support,” the policy paper stated.

The government should create programmes supporting women’s work in the informal sector, specifying their activities and assisting the activities and businesses that were mostly affected by COVID-19, the policy paper added.

The policy paper titled “Voices of Women in the Workforce”, led by the SADAQA organisation, Workers Centre, other entities, experts, activists and former officials, focused on daily wage workers and female workers in the informal sector.

The policy paper will be presented to the government by national organisations and public figures in the near future.

The policy paper stated that Jordanian labour market challenges directly impact women and women in sectors where the employment of women is high. This requires decision- and policy-makers to understand barriers to women’s labour market participation and provide solutions while delivering programmes and allocate resources to address the problem.

The state and decision makers need to honour their commitments to acknowledge the central role of female employment in the economy, provide sufficient protection for women, ensure that policies adhere to the principles of decent working conditions that provide equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination, the policy paper stressed.

The paper also warned that the Kingdom is facing “unprecedented challenges threatening the economy as well as employment opportunities in both the formal and informal sectors”.

The country, however, can tackle these challenges and seize vital opportunities to overcome the crisis by ensuring that the Social Security Corporation (SSC) provide the required protection for female and male workers, including the daily wage workers and those in the informal sector, the policy paper said.

“The SSC should establish a fund for daily wage workers and out-of-job non-covered workers, providing them with wages during the COVID-19 crisis through the unemployment fund, full and partial exemption from subscription fees and coverage until the end of the year. SSC enrolment can be scheduled at a later stage along with gradual insurance coverage,” the paper stated.

“The government should take the initiative, prioritising SSC enrolment of women daily wage workers and out-of-job women, particularly those in the care economy and women running small businesses,” the policy paper added.

The government, through the Ministry of Social Development programmes, should develop special programmes to support women working in the care economy and caregivers in daycares, elderly centres and organisations supporting people with disabilities, the policy paper said.