Iraqi women shift to government jobs: 14% workforce participation amid rising harassment
Shafaq News/ Many Iraqi women areturning to government jobs or starting their own businesses to escape malesupervision, driven by rising harassment, low wages, and other challenges inthe private sector that have led to reduced female participation.
FemaleWorkforce Declines
Women'srepresentation in Iraq's labor market has fallen to just 14%, lower than theglobal average of 20%, according to the Strategic Center for Human Rights inIraq. This decline comes as nearly 11% of Iraqi households are now led bywomen.
According to International LabourOrganization statistics, Iraq has 13 million women of working age, but only 1million are employed, with 70% working in the public sector and fewer than300,000 in the private one. Dr. FadelAl-Gharawi, head of the center, highlighted this disparity as “a significantissue” and called for a thorough investigation into the factors deterring womenfrom entering the private labor market.
Severe Challenges
Dr. Al-Gharawi, speaking to ShafaqNews, pointed out significant issues faced by women in Iraq's workforce,including “low wages, long hours, and unsafe working conditions, particularlyin factories, as well as prevalent harassment.”
Umm Shahid from Baghdad corroboratesthese concerns, revealing that many women avoid private sector jobs due tofears of sexual harassment. “Some employers exploit female workers by demandingsexual favors for employment and higher wages, and then reduce their salariesif they refuse.”
“After experiencing this myself, Ileft the private sector and now work from home, producing and selling pastriesonline to avoid such harassment.” She noted, “Many women prefer governmentjobs, citing less harassment, better job equality, and established laborprotections.”
In this context, Rhea FaiqAl-Khafaji, Executive Director of the Association for Press Freedom Defense inIraq, confirmed that working women face multiple challenges, includingdiscrimination, unequal pay, limited professional development, and culturalpressures that hinder their participation in the labor market. “Despite effortsto improve women's conditions, these obstacles continue to impede genderequality and women's rights in Iraq.”
In her discussion on challengesfaced by working women, Faiq emphasized to our agency “the need for improvedlegislation, policies, and societal awareness to better support and empowerworking women,” highlighting issues such as “harassment, wage disparitiescompared to men, and difficulty obtaining promotions due to discrimination or apreference for men in leadership roles.”
Faiq further highlighted that"employment contracts in the private sector are sometimes unstable, whichexposes women to the risk of job loss without clear reasons. Moreover, there isa lack of support for working mothers, who may struggle to balance work and childcaredue to insufficient support such as maternity leave or childcareservices."
Legal, FinancialSafeguards
Faiq affirmed the importance ofwomen being aware of Iraq's anti-harassment laws, which include penalties forsexual harassment, advising women “to report it immediately to the police ortheir workplace’s legal department and to preserve any supporting evidence,such as messages or witness statements.”
Sexual harassment is defined inIraq's Labor Law No. 37 of 2015 as "any physical or verbal sexualbehavior, or any other sex-based conduct, which affects the dignity of womenand men, is undesirable, unreasonable, and insulting to those who receive it,and leads to the rejection or non-submission of any person to such behavior,explicitly or implicitly, to make a decision that affects their job."
Article 10 of the Iraqi Labor Lawprohibits "sexual harassment in the workplace and all stages ofemployment, including job search, vocational training, and employment, as wellas any behavior that creates an intimidating, hostile, or degrading workenvironment for those subjected to it."
To safeguard their financial rights,the Executive Director recommended securing a written employment contract thatclearly outlines all entitlements, including salary, allowances, and workinghours. “If financial rights are breached, women can pursue legal action toclaim their entitlements, including equal pay for equal work.”
Faiq also suggested that women joinlabor unions for protection and legal support, and consult with labor lawexperts for advice if their rights are violated.
“These strategies are vital forwomen to address workplace challenges and defend their rights.”
