Gender inequalities in access to the labor market in Morocco

Abstract

Gender equality, along with the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, are fundamental human rights objectives. Aware of the importance of mainstreaming gender equality in public policies, Morocco has made this issue one of its top priorities, in alignment with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By adopting a hypothetico-deductive approach, this work undertakes an in-depth analysis of the determinants of labor market participation by gender in order to assess the achievement of these gender equality goals in Morocco. This study focused on a sample of 44,972 people aged 15 and over, residing in the 12 regions of the Kingdom. The data used comes from the results of the Household Panel Survey conducted by the National Observatory for Human Development (ONDH) in 2019. An econometric modeling was carried out using the logit model. The results of our analysis show that men are more likely to be active in the labor market than women. As a result, women’s participation in the national economy remains insufficient, which limits the country’s potential for economic growth. This participation disparity is the result of multiple factors: economic, social, and cultural. These results confirm the need to implement targeted public policies to promote gender equality and equity. It is also crucial to strengthen awareness and training initiatives to overcome the obstacles faced by women.

Keywords: Labor market, inequality, gender, logit model

JEL Classification: J70, C35

Paper type: Empirical research