Equality day: 52% of Armenian women unemployed, never intended to work
Women’s employment in Armenia
International Women’s Day, symbolizing the struggle for equality with men, is perceived more as a spring holiday in Armenia. And wishes related to women’s rights are only mentioned in government congratulations.
According to studies conducted in Armenia, 54 percent of the country’s workforce is made up of women and only 46 percent are men. But at the same time, a significant portion of women, specifically 52 percent or about 620,000 individuals, have never worked and have not even looked for a job.
More details on women’s employment can be found in the report “Women and Men of Armenia-2023,” published by the Statistical committee. It summarizes the indicators for the year 2022.
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Women’s participation level is low
According to the data published in the report, 48 percent of the female population is employed or looking for work. 52 percent of women aged 15-74 have never worked and have not even planned to. Most of them (43 percent) were engaged in housekeeping.
The number of men working or seeking employment is much higher – 71 percent.
Four out of ten are employed
Four out of ten women of working age are employed. Among men, six out of ten are employed.
Despite this, women predominate in almost all age groups among the working population. The only exception is the 15-24 age group. In this group, the number of working men is higher.
In age groups over 30, the gender distribution favors working women.
Reasons why women are not working
According to the study, the reasons are:
- Family circumstances,
- Education, including at universities,
- Illness or disability,
- Lack of hope to find a job,
- Intention to go abroad, looking for a job overseas.
The percentage distribution for the listed reasons is shown in the chart:
Nearly 37 percent of young women aged 15-29 are neither studying nor working. Among men of the same age group, only 16 percent are neither studying nor working.
Most women are employed in the service sector
67 percent of women work in the service sector, 23 percent are engaged in agriculture, and 10 percent in industry. Among men, 48 percent work in the service sector, 21 percent in agriculture, 16 percent in industry, and 15 percent are involved in construction.
70 percent of women work in the non-governmental sector, while 30 percent are in the governmental sector. As for men, 82 percent are employed in the private sector, and 16 percent in the governmental sector.
Both women and men are primarily wage workers.
Employers are men
Most employers and self-employed individuals are men. Among unpaid workers, women outnumber men by two to one.
Men outnumber women in managerial positions by 2.4 times.
There is also a gender pay gap. The average earnings of women in Armenia are 60.8 percent of men’s earnings.
