On the occasion of International Women's Day .. Humaidan: Bahraini women have proven their leadership and effective contribution to the labor market

06-03-2020

The Kingdom of Bahrain, along with all countries worldwide, celebrates International Women's Day on March 8 of each year. This day was approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1977, and this year's slogan is: “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights,” and Bahrain is keen to participate with the international community in observing it, and through it to highlight the progress achieved by Bahraini women through its ministries and bodies in various political, legislative, economic, social, and other fields and levels. On this occasion, His Excellency Jameel bin Mohammad Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour and Social Development, extended his congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women, for Her Highness’s efforts and initiatives, which have played a key role in achieving further accomplishments and gains for Bahraini women, enhancing women’s empowerment efforts and proving their capabilities in economic, political and societal participation. The Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved numerous gains and accomplishments in the field of consolidating the principles of equal opportunities, empowering women and protecting their rights, under the comprehensive reform process of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the country's great king, may God protect and preserve him, and in light of the sound policies and decisions of the esteemed government, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, and the support and diligent follow‑up of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, may God protect and preserve them. This has given Bahraini women the opportunity to exercise their role in giving, building and development by launching many initiatives that have contributed to enhancing the status of women, and their attainment of the highest levels locally, regionally and internationally. Minister Humaidan stressed that Bahraini women have proven their competence and excellence in all the tasks and responsibilities they have been assigned, affirming their strong presence and effective and distinguished contributions in serving their country in various fields of work. He pointed out that the Ministry of Labour and Social Development is keen to provide support and assistance to Bahraini women, pointing out that they have succeeded and excelled in many worksites and contributed to them with a momentum that is attested to. Their participation rate has reached 47% of the total national workforce in Bahrain, and has exceeded more than 50% in the government sector, and has risen in some sectors to reach 80%, such as the education and health services sectors. Bahraini women currently hold 45% of senior leadership positions in the government sector, and share in middle management positions at a rate of 59%, in addition to the increased representation of women in the legislative authority. Minister Humaidan pointed out that qualifying and employing female citizens in attractive jobs that suit them and their family and social circumstances is a priority for the Ministry, whether through advanced labour legislation in coordination with the legislative authority, or through updated and targeted programmes and projects. Thus, for example, the percentage of female employment out of the total number of employees rose during 2018 to 40%, a significant increase compared to 20% in 2014 and 25% in 2015. A total of 9,969 females were employed during 2019, 8,654 of whom were full‑time and 1,315 part‑time. In addition to the above, women constitute 55% of the total new entrants to the labour market (those employed for the first time), while the percentage of vacancies available to women is 71% of the total vacancies offered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development to job seekers in the Ministry’s vacancy bank. He pointed out that during the period from September 2018 to September 2019, more than 7,221 job seekers were trained, of whom 70.7% were women. He pointed out that statistics and reports show a 100% increase in the average income of women over 12 years in the private sector, as it was 280 dinars in 2006, and rose to 491 dinars in 2019. Regarding the incentives offered by the government to facilitate the integration of women into the business world, Bahrain offers numerous incentives to facilitate women's participation in the labour market, including providing financing programmes for small and medium enterprises and supporting programmes for productive families. This has encouraged many women to establish their own businesses. The percentage of women owning commercial records in Bahrain has reached 39%, while the percentage of women who own home‑based businesses has reached 77% of the total number of participants in “Khatwa for Productive Families Projects” affiliated with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, which aims to empower women economically. In this context, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development offers several initiatives that serve the goal of women's economic empowerment, through qualifying and training females who wish to start home‑based projects. It organises various training courses, the number of beneficiaries of which reached 15,172 trainees last year, 95% of whom were females. The number of those who obtained a licence to work from home under “Khatwa for Productive Families Projects” reached 695 citizens, 541 of whom were females. Regarding marketing through the centres affiliated with the Ministry or the exhibitions in which it participates, the number of beneficiaries from the Sitra Centre for Productive Families reached 256 beneficiaries, 220 of whom were females. The number of beneficiaries from the Capital Mall for Bahraini Handicrafts reached 132 families, 90 of whom were females. The number of beneficiaries from the exhibitions reached 304, 288 of whom were women. The number of beneficiaries from the Bahrain International Airport store reached 46, 38 of whom were women. The number of beneficiaries from the Al Saya Centre for Home Businesses reached 10, all of whom were females. Humaidan emphasised that all of the above achievements will not stop here, as the Ministry of Labour and Social Development will continue to launch unique initiatives and projects aimed at empowering women economically, increasing their participation in community development, and contributing to the service and growth of the nation.