Why Do Women Contribute Less Economically Than Men in Society?

Despite cultural and social changes and the growing presence of women in education and professional fields, their economic participation still faces challenges. Although traditional views consider providing for the family to be mainly men's responsibility.

According to Ambassador Arjan, the capabilities and capacities of women are not limited to family responsibilities, and their presence in the labor market can, in addition to strengthening financial independence, lay the foundation for personal growth, increasing self-confidence and improving their social status. On the other hand, achieving sustainable development requires taking advantage of the capabilities of all members of society and providing equal opportunities for their economic participation.

However, increasing the level of education and expanding the presence of women in specialized fields has not necessarily led to a proportional improvement in their situation in the labor market. Limitation of employment opportunities, the difficulty of entering some managerial positions, family responsibilities and cultural and structural barriers are still among the factors that can affect women's employment and professional development.

In this regard, by examining the employment status of women and identifying the obstacles facing them, especially in Razavi Khorasan, we have tried to better understand the existing challenges and identify ways to strengthen their economic participation.

Women's economic activities towards electronic businesses and offline sales

Fatemeh Hamedabrisham Tab, Director General of the Office of Women and Family Affairs of Razavi Khorasan Governorate, referring to the employment status of women in Razavi Khorasan, stated: According to the available statistics, the economic participation rate of women in Razavi Khorasan in 1404 was equal to 13.1%; Meanwhile, the economic participation rate of men is reported to be 86.9%. This difference shows a significant gap between the economic participation of women and men in the labor market of the province.

He added: The unemployment rate of women in Razavi Khorasan in 1403 was also 1405 percent, which indicates the existence of challenges in the path of women entering and staying in the labor market. Providing job opportunities according to the abilities and skills of women and supporting their economic activities can be effective in improving the employment status of this group.

Director General of the Women and Family Affairs Office of Khorasan Governorate, Razavi, referring to the changes made in women's employment patterns in recent years, stated: due to cultural and social developments as well as the development of technology, part of women's economic activities have moved towards electronic, digital and offline sales businesses; In such a way that about seven percent of women's jobs are in these areas. The development of these types of activities can provide women with more access to job opportunities and start independent businesses.

Referring to the obstacles faced by women in the field of employment, Hamedabrisham Tab mentioned the process of issuing business licenses as one of the problems and said: the lack of centralized issuance of licenses through the national license portal can make the process of starting economic activities difficult for applicants.

Referring to the lack of credit resources to pay for employment facilities in this area, he pointed out: Limitation in access to financial resources reduces the possibility of starting or developing businesses. On the other hand, producers do not have enough support and the lack of a supply network of cheap and high-quality raw materials increases production costs and affects the competitiveness of products.

Director General of Women and Family Affairs Office of Khorasan Governorate Razavi emphasized: removing these barriers and strengthening credit and infrastructure support for economically active women can help develop their businesses, increase employment opportunities and improve the presence of women in the economic arena of the province.

The burden of roles is one of the obstacles to women's employment and career advancement

In addition, Hossein Akbari, a sociologist, pointed out that the economic conditions and the limitation of job opportunities affect the employment status of men and women, and stated: Part of the problems of the labor market in the country, regardless of the gender of the people, comes back to the limitation of job opportunities and the problems of economic enterprises. However, some barriers may affect women or men in a different way, and to investigate this issue, the type of job and the desired job position should also be considered.

He added: The obstacles facing women in government jobs, employee positions and management levels are not necessarily the same. One of the issues that can affect women's career progress, especially at high management levels, is their multiple responsibilities in the family and community spheres. In addition, some cultural tendencies may also play a role in limiting the presence of women in managerial positions.

Referring to the difference in employment conditions in the private sector and industrial jobs, this sociologist clarified: it is not possible to consider a general rule for all jobs in the field of obstacles to women's employment; Because the conditions and requirements of each field are different. Therefore, the evaluation of the situation of women in the labor market should be done according to the type of job, the level of responsibility and the conditions governing each sector.

Referring to the increase in the level of women's university education, Akbari said: In recent years, the presence of girls in universities has increased and a significant part of the country's university graduates are women. This has increased the demand for jobs that require university education; While the capacity of administrative and employee positions is largely saturated and there are no job opportunities commensurate with this amount of demand.

Stating that a large number of university graduates enter the labor market, and on the other hand, there are not enough job opportunities available for their education, he said: In such a situation, employment restrictions for women are more visible; Because their demand for administrative and specialized jobs has increased. On the other hand, some of the manual and hard jobs that men may go to, are usually less welcomed by women.

Referring to the role of family support in reducing women's employment barriers, this sociologist said: Family support can play an effective role in reducing the pressures on working women. In the country, especially after marriage and during motherhood, women are expected to fulfill their job, motherhood and wifely responsibilities at the same time. This situation leads to a phenomenon called (role burden), which is more pronounced especially among working women.

Pointing to the necessity of managing these pressures, Akbari added: One of the important ways to reduce the burden of women's role is to divide responsibilities in the family. Accompanying spouses, children, and even other family members, including grandparents, can help women juggle career and family responsibilities.

Referring to the role of the government's support policies in this field, he noted: family support, along with the measures that the government can take, such as providing the possibility of floating working hours, remote work, and the implementation of facilities suitable for the conditions of working mothers, can reduce some of the problems of women.

This sociologist stated: A difference must be made between the barriers to women's entry into the labor market and the challenges they face after employment. After entering the labor market, the issue of conflict between home and work responsibilities is raised, and its management requires appropriate policies. Therefore, in addition to creating job opportunities for women, attention should also be paid to solutions that allow better coordination between their professional and family responsibilities.

Women have a significant contribution to the economy but are not seen

Azar Kianinejad, the head of Khorasan Razavi Merchants Women's Association, pointed out that women have faced more restrictions in gaining social and professional experiences compared to men, and stated: A boy may sit next to his father in the market or business environment from childhood and get to know the rules of work in a practical way, but such an opportunity is less available for girls.

He added: This has caused women to continue their education to acquire the necessary skills, but education alone cannot replace practical experience. A person acquires real skills when he enters the work environment and faces its issues and challenges closely.

Referring to the presence of women in managerial and economic positions, the head of Khorasan Businesswomen's Association, Razavi, emphasized: the number of women managers has not decreased, but active women in management and business fields are seen less. In some areas, even the presence of women has increased, but these presence and capabilities are not properly introduced to the society. For example, in recent years, we have seen an increase in the entry of girls into the field of medicine and the growth of the number of female doctors and specialists; Therefore, the question is raised, why despite the increase in the number of women specialists, their presence is less noticeable? Part of the answer should be found in the weakness of the platforms for introducing and presenting the capabilities of women.

Kianinejad continued: Part of this problem is due to the difference in the behavior patterns of men and women. Women usually focus more on doing their own work when they are entrusted with responsibility, and they don't necessarily pay attention to introducing their activities, advertising and being seen as much as men. On the other hand, men usually show more social presence and activity due to having more social skills that the society has provided to them since childhood.

Referring to the capacity of the digital economy and artificial intelligence for women, the head of Khorasan Businesswomen's Association, Razavi, said: The developments that are taking place in the field of digital economy and artificial intelligence are fundamentally beyond gender. Today, all businesses are affected by these developments, and both women and men must adapt to the changes brought about by the digital economy and new technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Kianinejad pointed out: Women in many cases are faster in adapting to changes and when they have to learn a skill or update themselves, they do it faster. Of course, besides economic activity, women have other responsibilities, such as the role of mother and wife and family responsibilities, which must be taken into account.

Referring to the culture of division of responsibilities in the family, he said: If the culture of division of responsibilities and equality between men and women in the family is strengthened, women will also have more opportunities to be present and active in the social and economic fields. This issue is seen more in the new generation than the previous generations and it seems that this trend is getting stronger.

The head of Khorasan Razavi Merchant Women's Association said: "Women have a significant contribution to the economy; But the main problem is that they are not seen. Many ostensibly male-owned businesses are actually run by women in the family. A man may appear as a business owner in various meetings and events, but the support and management of a significant part of his economic activities is the responsibility of his wife, mother, sister or another woman in the family.

Saying that we have capable female managers in industrial units, Kayaninejad clarified: a significant part of quality control managers in industrial units are women, and women also have an active presence in the field of production and specialized management; But when we talk about ownership and macroeconomic management, men's names are usually seen more.

Referring to some structural obstacles in the path of women's economic activity, he said: One of the important issues is the lack of transparency in the economic environment. The more transparent the economy and the more specific the rules of economic activity, the less the difference between men and women in accessing opportunities. But when part of economic activity depends on communication and lobbying, women may face more obstacles.

Referring to the economic participation rate of women, Kayaninejad said: official statistics do not necessarily show all the economic activity of women. When we look at permits issued by different agencies to measure economic participation, many activities such as home businesses, small and traditional activities and handicrafts are not properly seen in official statistics, while these activities are part of the real cycle of the economy.

In general, what emerges from this point of view of experts and economic activists is that women's employment is not limited to finding a job and the problems they face in the path of activity and career advancement are also important. From financial problems and the difficulty of starting a business to family responsibilities and the lesser visibility of women's abilities, all of them can affect their presence in the labor market.

A part of women's economic activity, especially in home businesses and family businesses, is less visible in statistics. For this reason, in order to improve the employment status of women in Razavi Khorasan, in addition to supporting their businesses, conditions must be provided so that women can have more opportunities for economic activity and career advancement in addition to family responsibilities.