Social Solidarity Minister Ghada Wali has indicated several obstacles facing the empowerment of women, saying that Arab women represent 25 percent of the total workforce in the Arab world and that 40 percent of the unemployed are women.
Waly spoke on Sunday at the third conference for business women entitled ‘Women for Success’, in attendance of representatives of 18 Arab countries at the Arab League headquarters. The minister said that Egyptian women lead 25 percent of families, which is equal to the population of several countries. She expressed pride about submitting a law to parliament that criminalizes whoever prevents women from getting her heritage.
Wali stressed the necessity of raising awareness about the value of women's work and the great need for children nurseries to enable their mothers to work and take part in the development of their families and of their societies.
The conference this year has seen an increase in the number of women investors; as well as an increase in the number of participating Arab countries; and in the diversity of age groups and investment sectors of attendees, according to the Minister Waly.
"The delegations are visiting Luxor to see the fall of sun rays on Abu Simbel temple. In the previous two conferences, the tourist program covered Aswan and Gouna,” she said.
“The economic empowerment of women differs across Arab countries. Despite the significant progress in some countries, the ambitions are bigger than the outcome,” she added.
The minister said: “The cost of violence against women in Egypt, either domestic or public, reaches around LE2.5 billion annually. There is a gap in literacy between women and men. Illiteracy among the women is double that of men."
Waly deplored the fact that unemployment figures among women are four times the rates found among males. "We have a work plan at the ministry to assist women breadwinners, in addition to other social security programs to improve the life standard of poor families.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
