CAIRO: The Social Research Center (SRC) at the American University in Cairo (AUC), in cooperation with the Ministry of Manpower and Migration, launched a long-term project sponsored by the UN Fund for Gender Equality to economically empower women in the Salheya area of the Sharkeya governorate. “One of the main pillars of the Salheya initiative is reducing unemployment by offering training opportunities that can match people's skills with job-market demands and improving the working conditions of employed women using different means, particularly the elimination of gender discrimination from the workplace," said Rania Alaa El Din, SRC researcher. “With the country's unstable economic and political conditions and with unemployment rising, providing training programs and encouraging free enterprise become all the more important as efficient short and medium-term strategies." The SRC conducted a baseline survey analyzing the economic situation of women in the area and highlighting the demands of the job market. It examined women's working conditions, job patterns, obstacles faced and the availability of social protection. “High rates of unemployment among educated women signify that there is a mismatch between the educational system and labor market needs," said Alaa El Din. “While this is common for both men and women, the unemployment rate is higher among women." Survey results revealed that 60 percent of enterprises in the area consider the lack of technical skills among workers as the main obstacle in the investment climate. The survey also showed that only 25 percent of large enterprises provide training opportunities for workers, whether male or female. The limited training opportunities among job seekers was more apparent among women, whereby only 40 percent of them had previous work experience compared to 60 percent among men. Similarly, female job seekers tended to have longer periods of unemployment, ranging from one to three years, compared to their male counterparts, who could spend less than one year searching for a job. In addition, 34 percent of young female job seekers were university graduates, compared to 54 percent with a technical education. The SRC survey was conducted during the first year of the project, which began in 2011 and will continue until 2014. Based on survey results, the ministry launched a number of training programs for more than 500 unemployed women and female entrepreneurs, including young graduates with medium and higher education. The women were trained in the skills necessary to find jobs in industries that are traditionally female-dominated, including sewing and tailoring, rabbit and poultry breeding, computer literacy, jam and cheese making, and entrepreneurship. Sixty of the women who received training were able to start their own small business, opening tailoring shops and rabbit-breeding projects. Marwa, 29, is a university graduate, but her higher education certificate failed to secure her a job in Egypt's competitive market. After joining a workshop on sewing and tailoring offered by the Ministry of Manpower and Migration, Marwa was able to start her own small business in ready-made garments. “Learning a new skill and being able to earn money gave me a goal in life," she said, explaining how her first clients were her neighbors and friends. Her network of clients is now growing, and she has turned from a burden on the economy into a productive individual who might soon be able to employ other workers. “This four-year initiative aims to transform the Salheya area into a demonstration model, through which solutions for women's unemployment and the enhancement of working conditions for both men and women can be reached on a larger scale," said Alaa El Din. While continuing to analyze the baseline survey results, the SRC, in coordination with the Ministry of Manpower and Migration, is also developing a website with a database containing information about job vacancies, training and funding opportunities, and other support services targeting female entrepreneurs in the Salheya area. In addition, the two entities are collaborating to enhance the institutional and legal framework to increasingly support women's capabilities in balancing between home and job responsibilities.
