As Morocco grapples with rising unemployment rates, women seem to be the hardest hit by the trend, according to a recent report from Morocco’s Higher Commission of Planning (HCP).
In the second quarter of 2024, unemployment among women reached 17.7%, compared to 11.7% for their male counterparts.
The unemployment rate among women is disproportionately higher than the 13.1% national average.
Despite government efforts, Morocco’s female labor force participation remains among the lowest in the world.
Morocco’s Female labor force participation has been gradually declining over the past decade, going from 27% in 2010 to 22% in 2021. The rate dropped below 20% in 2023.
A host of economic and social factors are driving this trend. A 2023 report from the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), a Moroccan think tank, indicates that even having a higher education level, women remain more likely to be unemployed compared to their male counterparts.
Between 2001 and 2021, the participation rate for women with university degrees in vocational training deteriorated by 14 percentage points, the report indicates.
“This trend is confirmed by the rising unemployment rate among higher education graduates, which exceeds 30% in urban areas and 45% in rural areas.”
The report equally found that marriage makes women more likely to quit the job market. “Unlike men, whose activity rate increases after marriage, women’s access to economic opportunities is reduced by over 50% once they are married.”
Geographical distribution is another factor affecting women’s employment rate. Unemployment among women in rural areas is higher than in urban areas.
At the end of the second quarter of 2024, unemployment among women in rural areas dropped from 23% to 21.6%.