women's economic empowerment in Iraq: Analyzing barriers and Government policies

Abstract

The research addresses the importance of women's economic empowerment as a basic dimension of empowerment, with a focus on the reality of Iraqi women in economic empowerment through an analysis of women's economic empowerment indicators developed by the United Nations Fund. The results of the study showed that despite some progress in areas such as education and health care, the economic gap between genders in Iraq remains wide. The rate of women's participation in the labor force remains low, and their contribution to the public sector is higher than their contribution to the private sector. In addition, most of the professions they work in are manual and artisanal, and their wages are lower compared to men. This reduces the chances of alleviating poverty and unemployment among women in society. The study also addressed the legal, personal, social, financial and administrative challenges faced by women, using the descriptive analytical approach with a set of official statistics, local and international reports, and some previous studies on this subject. In conclusion, the study recommended the need to create an enabling environment by reviewing legislation, legal and financial frameworks, and social practices that restrict women’s work and identifying mechanisms to prevent this in rural and urban areas to enhance their economic empowerment. Moreover, there is a need for government coordination, projects and strategies to empower women and monitor their implementation.