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World Bank: Less than 15% of Iraq women work

November 24, 2020 at 11:29 am

Iraqi women wear protective face masks following an outbreak of coronavirus, in Iraq on 11 March 2020 [REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani/TPX]

Women’s participation in the workforce in Iraq is less than 15 per cent, the World Bank has said.

In a report, the global monetary body said less than 15 per cent of women work in Iraq and Jordan while only 26 per cent work in Lebanon. Jordan and Iraq have some of the lowest female employment rates in the world, it added.

According to the report, the journey to enter the labor market requires that women and girls are equipped with the appropriate skills that enable them to successfully transit from study to work.

A large gap exists between the sexes, it explained, especially in Iraq, where barely half the population of girls complete their primary education compared to three quarters of boys, while 80 per cent of boys aged 13 go to school, compared to only 40 per cent of girls.

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