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BAHRAIN’S efforts to establish gender equality in the labour market have received recognition from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a top minister has revealed.
Labour Minister Jameel Humaidan said that the ILO’s Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations has shown interest in the kingdom’s progress when it comes to women in the labour force.
This recognition is present in a report by the committee which will be presented at the ILO conference’s 111th session in Geneva, Switzerland in June.
The report pointed to the legislations and policies set in place by Bahrain to improve the status of women in the labour market, including establishing laws that forbid gender-based wage discrimination, as well as removing employment restrictions on night-time work.
The minister made this statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day, which was marked yesterday, and highlighted this year’s theme, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, set by the UN.
“Bahrain has carried out numerous initiatives and projects to encourage the advancement of Bahraini women and help them develop necessary digital skills,” said the minister, referring to this year’s theme.
“This has led to greater female employment in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) sector along with the artificial intelligence sector.
“The government’s initiatives have contributed to raising the percentage of women employed in 2023 to 41 per cent, compared to 34pc in 2020,” said Mr Humaidan.
He added that women make up 54pc of the public sector workforce and 35pc of the private sector’s, bringing the overall 2022 total to 39pc of the workforce.
Bahraini women make up 55pc of the private sector’s university-educated employees, he added.
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