Jordan Labor Watch
A policy paper published by Phenix Center for Economic and Informatics Studies in November of 2020, titled "Expansion of Vocational and Technical Education and Training in Jordan", showed that women pursuing vocational and technical education and training shows at lower rates compared to men in Jordan, due to gendered stereotypes and other gender barriers faced by women.
The paper noted that in 2018, female students in schools represented a larger proportion of male students in academic education, while the number of male students outpaced that of female students by 20 percent in vocational education.
The number of students enrolled in vocational secondary education in 2018, according to the figures of the Jordanian Department of Statistics, is 23,181, of which 13,974 were male students and 9,207 were female students. The number of students enrolled in academic secondary education was 177,945, of whom 79,820 were male and 98,125 were females.
The paper argued that women’s preference for the academic education track was related to a belief that academic tracks of education would allow them to have a larger sense of self and independence, as well as a perception that an academic education is a gateway to employment in the public sector, which is viewed to be the most secure and stable for working women.
The paper noted that many programs within vocational training centres are often designed to target male students, as gender stereotypes in Jordan have a large impact on women’s career paths - particularly in male-dominated fields. A relatively low number of vocational education and training programs teach professional skills that are essential within traditionally female-dominated fields, such as cosmetician skills, computer and typing skills, et cetera. These factors impede women’s desire to participate in vocational and technical training programmes.
The paper also contended that the cultural beliefs around women and employment reflect the various gender barriers and social constraints impacting Jordanian women. According to the most recent numbers published by the International Labor Organization, in 2019, the female labor force participation rate in Jordan was at just 15.56% - one of the lowest in the world. The widespread cultural belief that women’s primary responsibility is domestic care, and that as such women will leave their jobs once they marry and will find it difficult to work outside the home, is a significant factor in women’s low participation rate in the labor market.
The paper called for the promotion of equal gender participation in vocational training and the labor market, through the development and implementation of more gender-sensitive policies at all workplaces. The paper emphasized that the implementation of gender-sensitive policy is necessary to ensure a safe working and learning environment for women and girls.
The paper also called on the Vocational Training Corporation to develop new training programs that will attract more female students to these programs and provide them with an adequate and safe environment.