Good Practice: Em­ploy­ment of young wo­men through ap­plied Gender Di­versity Man­age­ment in the MENA re­gion

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) have the lowest participation of women in economic life worldwide - only about one-fifth of all workers are women, and on average up to 50 per cent of young female academics are unemployed. Women without higher education are more likely to work, but generally in poorly paid and socially insecure positions.

In the private sector, women are less frequently considered in the selection of applicants despite having the right qualifications. Traditional gender stereotypes and values also reinforce the low social acceptance of female employment. In addition, conservative family role expectations lead to a double burden of family duties and paid work for working women and considerably restrict their geographical mobility.

Employment opportunities for women in private sector companies have improved in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

The project promotes Gender Diversity Management (GDM), i.e. a human resources policy to promote the economic integration of women and better retention in companies. This includes a family-friendly and socially welcoming working environment. Well selected companies promote in cooperation projects with the GIZ e.g. safe transport, Kindergarten, career chances for men AND women and better professional orientation already for girls. Another activity of the project is the global platform to innovate HR strategies by regional and international exchange, the so-called "Gender Diversity Circulator". This platform enables direct exchange between companies from the MENA region and companies from Germany and Europe as e.g. Siemens, Henkel, thyssenkrupp, VAUDE and more. The project works closely with business associations. These associations support their member companies in integrating GDM into their business processes. Digital solutions to improve working conditions for women or create employment opportunities are also promoted in cooperation with private companies in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

Since January 2015 more than 100 companies have participated in GDM events organised by partner associations. More than 100 companies have supported the career orientation of schoolgirls and students. 30 companies have concluded cooperation agreements with the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) GmbH and are currently implementing GDM projects. 150 human resources managers from more than 40 companies have already been trained in GDM. Overall, the working conditions of almost 35,000 employees - including more than 12,000 women - have improved.