Remembered about women's employment after the protests

Baku/03.08.23/Turan:  The project entitled "Increasing the employment of women in Dashkesan district" was initiated by the state joint stock company AzerGold and the State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. The project aims to expand employment opportunities for women living in the villages of Chovdar, Gushchu and Shadah, located near the Chovdar gold mine, by acquiring new skills, solving employment problems faced by low-income housewives, and promoting the development of micro and small businesses among women. 

The problems of women's employment in the region surfaced during the recent protest actions of residents of the village of Seudlu of the Kedabek district, caused by dissatisfaction with the state of environmental safety during the development of a gold mine.

In the region, women are predominantly employed in labor-intensive jobs, such as agriculture and animal husbandry. Currently, about 12,385 women are employed in agriculture, and there are several factors contributing to this trend. One of the key reasons is the limited educational opportunities available to women in these fields, which reduces their chances of mastering other sectors with better income prospects.

Economic expert Farid Mehralizade stressed that there are no official statistics on the incomes of individuals employed in agriculture, especially those who work informally, without employment contracts. According to his estimates, the daily wage of women in agriculture ranges from 8 to 12 manats. Unfortunately, the monthly income of women working in this sector often fluctuates within the minimum wage or even falls below it.

According to Farid, women in the regions face significant difficulties in finding alternative employment opportunities. The regions mainly offer jobs in the agricultural sector or in bureaucratic positions, which limits the opportunities available to women, especially when they face obstacles to access to higher education.

To solve these problems, experts suggest expanding women's participation in educational programs, which could open the door to improving employment prospects outside of agriculture. In addition, they advocate structural changes in the country's economy to create more jobs, seeking to increase the representation of women in the workforce and support them in improving their economic conditions.