By Erin Block
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The large-scale entry of Moroccan women into the labor force is raising the quality of life of Morocco and contributing to the economic transformation of the country, said Michelle Morelli, author of the research paper "A Case Study of Morocco: How Have Women Become Part of the Labor Market?"

"Women in this country are setting precedence by going against the grain of traditional society and enveloping themselves in the world of labor. These actions will catapult Morocco into the next millennium as a forceful, industrialized nation that can compete in the global market," said Morelli, who shared her research at the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) conference on May 29 in Washington.

The participation of women in the Moroccan labor force rose from 8 percent in 1973 to 25 percent in 1994. Today, approximately 42 percent of all Moroccan women work outside of the home, said Morelli.

"Through hard work and perseverance these women have fought for their position in society," and with increased educational opportunities, Moroccan women have better access to the labor market, she said.

By gaining more knowledge and skills, Moroccan women have become an asset to their country while also learning more about their rights as workers. Morelli added that, with increased access to education, Moroccan women are working to change their role in the home and labor markets.

However, she noted that the transition from the home, to the factory and now to the office has not come easily.

"Contradictions in laws, gender discrimination, and educational barriers have caused Moroccan women to struggle to be accepted as a part of the economy. Moroccan women are torn between religion, tradition, and modernity," said Morelli.

Men still hold 70 percent of the employment opportunities, make more money, are employed in higher-level and higher-paying positions, and continue to be favored by the country's laws, said Morelli.

But she said Moroccan women are working with non-governmental organizations, international intergovernmental organizations and others seeking to change existing policies that facilitate discrimination and inequality in the work place.

Such changes will ultimately prove beneficial to the country as a whole and serve as a model for the region.

According to Riane Eisler, president of the Center for Partnership Studies, the status of women is a better predictor of a country's overall quality of life than its gross domestic product (GDP).

At the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum in 2003, she reported that, regardless of how high a country's GDP was, "the general quality of life is much higher in those nations where the status of women was higher as measured by such basic [criteria] as rates of infant mortality and maternal mortality, which were almost double in the nations where women's status was lower."

Looking at women's empowerment from an economic standpoint, Eisler argued that if women, representing half a country's population, are given more education and broader opportunities to participate in its society and economy, the country will have deeper human capital resources contributing to its development.

She also said economically and environmentally unsustainable population growth can be reduced if women obtain the right of reproductive freedom and have other options besides motherhood by which to attain social status.

The United States, through its Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), is encouraging local reforms and business opportunities throughout the region to support women's empowerment and encourage their full participation in their country's economies.

Describing the goals of MEPI, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs Alina Romanowski said the reform initiative is intended as a partnership, bringing the government, the private sector, and members of civil society together to expand economic, political and educational opportunities and to empower women.

With the highest number of women employed in the Middle East and North Africa, Morocco is a leader and example that the Arab world can follow. Still, said Morelli, Morocco can continue to expand its opportunities for women.

By developing policies that give women more access to education and skills training, Morocco can help further increase the amount of women in the labor force and lessen gender inequalities such as lower job status and lower salary, said Morelli.