In a statement, the Council recalls that the Morocco, under the enlightened leadership of Mohammed VI, has undertaken structural and voluntary reforms aimed at strengthening the position of women in society.
These advances include the enshrinement of the principle of equality and the commitment to parity in the Moroccan Constitution of 2011, the adoption of legal frameworks reinforcing the protection of women’s rights, and the establishment of institutional and strategic mechanisms dedicated to their promotion, the statement notes.
These achievements have profoundly transformed the national normative and institutional landscape. However, the most recent data reveal a worrying reality: a persistent gap remains between the rights enshrined in law and their full implementation in women’s daily lives.
Significant female potential, but insufficiently valued
CESE’s 2024 Annual Report highlights a paradox: despite steadily increasing levels of education—particularly in scientific and technical fields—women’s economic integration remains limited.
In 2024, the female activity rate reached only 19.1%, compared with 68.6% for men. Female unemployment stands at 19.4%, affecting above all university graduates, 33.5% of whom are unemployed.
Wage inequalities also persist. The average pay gap in the private sector reaches 23%, exceeding 40% in certain socio-professional categories. More than half of salaried women earn less than the minimum wage (SMIG), while one quarter of employed women work without pay, often within family or informal settings.
Added to these economic vulnerabilities is a double domestic burden: women spend on average more than five hours per day on household tasks, compared with less than one hour for men. This unequal distribution mechanically limits their availability for employment, associative engagement, and political participation.
Beyond these imbalances, women remain under-represented in decision-making spheres. Their presence remains limited in elected institutions, leadership positions, and governance bodies at both national and territorial levels.
Structural obstacles that must be addressed decisively
The CESE notes that obstacles to the full and effective inclusion of women are persistent and multifaceted. They are rooted in discriminatory social practices, unequal role distribution, fragmented institutional organization, and a lack of appropriate support services.
This accumulation of factors creates a marked mismatch between skills and performance: Moroccan women demonstrate remarkable academic results but struggle to access qualified jobs and leadership positions.
For example, young women are strongly represented in scientific and technical training—56% of students in scientific university programs and 42.2% in engineering schools—yet a phenomenon of “progressive leakage” appears throughout their academic and professional paths. As scientific or professional levels rise, women’s presence in high-level leadership positions diminishes, limiting the effective use of female potential.
Prevailing social attitudes also continue to hinder women’s economic empowerment. According to a 2024 survey by the World Bank, nearly two-thirds of Moroccans believe financial responsibilities should primarily fall on men, while women should focus on domestic tasks.
Such perceptions—often internalized by women themselves—limit their autonomy and influence their life and career choices.
Furthermore, the care economy, which holds strong potential for job creation and gender equality promotion, remains marginal and undervalued. Women continue to assume most informal caregiving responsibilities—children, elderly people, and dependents—without recognition or social protection, increasing their mental load and limiting their active participation in economic and public life.
This under-participation represents a significant loss for the country. According to recent estimates from the High Commission for Planning (HCP), increasing the female activity rate by 9 percentage points could generate a 3% rise in GDP by 2035.
Each year, the cost of women’s inactivity is estimated at 25.3 billion dirhams, highlighting the economic and social urgency of decisive action to remove these obstacles.
Working toward equality that meets development challenges
To fully promote women’s inclusion and gender equality, a comprehensive approach integrating social, economic, and cultural dimensions is essential. This dynamic should build on existing progress—particularly the revision of the Family Code and the new Government Equality Plan—to establish an ambitious national roadmap with clear objectives and multisectoral governance involving all relevant stakeholders.
In this context, CESE has issued several recommendations, including the establishment of a national mobilizing target to raise the female activity rate to 45% by 2035, in line with the objectives of the New Development Model of Morocco.
The Council also recommends developing an integrated program to promote female employment, monitored at both national and regional levels and based on two main pillars:
• Strengthening supply by developing women’s skills through vocational training and by establishing appropriate services (childcare facilities, secure transport, teleworking, flexible hours), enabling better work-life balance while taking into account rural and peri-urban realities.
• Stimulating demand by supporting the creation of jobs for women and introducing targeted incentives encouraging companies to hire more women, particularly within the framework of the new Investment Charter.
Another recommendation is to professionalize care-related activities, granting them legal recognition, developing qualifying training programs for professionals in this sector, guaranteeing their social rights, and integrating these activities into territorial employment strategies.
The CESE also calls for the establishment of a national gender pay equality index, measuring wage gaps between women and men by sector and region. This would help reduce remuneration disparities, particularly in large companies, while progressive and regulated quotas could strengthen women’s representation in leadership positions in the scientific, academic, and economic sectors.
Editorial team/le7tv