BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 11. Gender equality
is not only ethically significant but also a crucial element in
ensuring economic development, Chief Operations Specialist of the
World Bank (WB) Representative Office in Azerbaijan Saida Baghirli
said at an event on “Leadership excellence in advancing women’s
employment and career growth in Azerbaijan” today, Trend reports.
She believes that women are few and far between in leadership
and technical roles within these vital sectors, leading to a hefty
gender pay gap.
“It is essential to address and deliberate on gender issues
throughout the nation. Notwithstanding Azerbaijan’s endeavors in
this domain, we continue to encounter some problems.
The average monthly salary of women in Azerbaijan is nearly 35
percent lower than that of men.
Azerbaijan has implemented some definitive measures to surmount
these obstacles. At the conclusion of 2022, aided by analytical
efforts from the World Bank, Azerbaijan eliminated gender-based
legal constraints on women’s employment. In 2023, the nation
abolished prohibitions on women’s night-shift employment,” she
emphasized.
Baghirli also highlighted that in Azerbaijan, women account for
17 percent of the workforce in the transportation and warehousing
sectors, 11 percent in energy, and 8 percent in construction.
“The WB supported these improvements through the Gender Advisory
Services Program, implemented under the Azerbaijan Technical
Assistance Facility (AZTAF) Program, funded by the European Union
(EU),” she added.
To note, the event on “Leadership excellence in advancing
women’s employment and career growth in Azerbaijan” features
participation from WB Manager for Azerbaijan, Stefanie
Stallmeister, Head of Communications at Azerbaijan Railways;
Aybeniz Ismayilova, Lead Specialist at the Human Resources
Department of Baku Port; Nurana Muradova, WB Senior Gender Advisor;
Shamsia Mustafayeva; and others.
The event showcases the key results of a gender assessment
conducted at Baku Port and Azerbaijan Railways, achievements in
increasing women’s employment in various Azerbaijani companies, and
introduces an online course on workplace health and safety
developed by the World Bank in Azerbaijan.
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