Solidarity Is Global Institute (SIGI), also known as Tadamon, extended its good wishes to all workers in Jordan and around the world on Labor Day, "despite the existence of some gaps and obstacles."

SIGI pointed out that many workers, especially women, continue to face challenges in the workforce all across the globe.

- Modernization and development of Jordanian legislation -

SIGI told Roya that women in Jordan have taken center stage when it comes to decision-making, as well as amending and approving legislation.

SIGI believes that the law has empowered Jordanian women and enabled them to take ownership of their rights.

When the Kingdom was first founded, the constitution gave women rights, which were later amended to suit societal developments, SIGI explained.

It pointed out that the Jordanian Parliament had recently approved the amendment of the local Labor Law, granting workers more legal protection in the workplace. Some of these amendments were positive including combating sexual harassment, protection and gender equality.

-Women's economic participation-

SIGI pointed out that unemployment among Jordanian women has been 'very high for several years,' and the increase has been at its highest in the last three years.

General unemployment reached 24.1 percent in 2021 and 30.7 percent among women. While general unemployment has decreased during the last three months of 2022 standing at 22.9 percent, it continued to increase among women standing at 31.7 percent.

Data from the National Department of Statistics indicates that women's economic participation has been stable for several years and varies between 13 and 14 percent every year.

SIGI stressed that this percentage is not representative of all women who work in the local labor market.

It explained that many women occupy unregulated jobs that are not included in the official data, hence are not counted as economic participation. It added that "this is what prevents and delays the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

SIGI stressed the importance of working on and regulating the jobs of female workers occupying unofficial positions, calling it a 'national necessity.'

These women face many risks, including the threat of losing their jobs at any time, as well as the fact that they do not enjoy legal protection based on labor laws.

The need to regulate this type of work is important in case disasters or crises occur, such as the coronavirus pandemic, which has proved the importance of protecting people's jobs and rights.

SIGI noted that regulating all types of work will not only benefit employees but employers as well, ensuring that the rights of both parties are protected.

This is exceptionally important because when people lose their jobs, this affects their livelihood and all those they support.

Notably, the percentage of women who provide the main source of income in their households in Jordan increased in 2022 reaching 18.4 percent of families, which is approximately 422,000 families, according to the statistics department.

-Wage gap-

Although Jordanian laws and legislation do not discriminate between men and women in terms of wages, in reality, there is a gap in favor of men.

SIGI says this is true even though Jordan was one of the first countries to ratify the Equal Remuneration Convention number 100 for equal pay, as well as Convention number 111 concerning discrimination in terms of employment and occupation.

SIGI called for continuous and increasing efforts to create a decent work environment for women who are eligible for the labor market. It also called for 'fairness and justice,' in order for them to fulfill their roles and achieve what they strive for.