Benkhadra_English

GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN 2004

Seoul, Republic of Korea

May 27-29, 2004

Speech of Mrs. Amina BENKHADRA, Managing Director of ONHYM (Morocco)

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I thank the organisers of this important Summit for giving me the opportunity to contribute to your prestigious Conference by presenting a statement on the challenges the Moroccan woman is facing at the beginning of the 21^st century, and by sharing with you my own professional career. This will serve as an illustration of the continuos progress the Moroccan woman is making, particularly since a decade.

I am also delighted to be here with you in this beautiful and great country, the Republic of Korea. A country that has numerous similarities with my own one as they have centuries- old cultures and civilisations, lived daily in a spirit of openness on the external world, and in a resolute modernist process.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Moroccan woman is playing more and more a major role in society thanks to her greater participation in the nation's activity. Whether the matter concerns the economic, political or associative activities, continuos progress is made in the setting up of favourable conditions for a real integration of women in all the sectors.

The progress made in the integration of the woman in the social and economic development of the country necessitated many years during which Moroccan women have never stopped to claim their place in facto and de jure. We are actually more than fifty per cent of the total population of Morocco. Moreover, the Constitution of he Kingdom guarantees to all citizens, men and women the same rights and the same obligations. Despite this, women continued actually to be the victims of several inequalities.

Indeed, many inequalities remain, and it will certainly take some time before they disappear or at least to be attenuated. However, my country had launched few years ago several reforms concerning the economic, political and social levels. All these reforms have been initiated thanks to the firm determination of our August King, His Majesty Mohammed the Sixth, Who has in particular, revolutionised the Moroccan family law. In this respect, I would like to express my pride as a citizen, but also as a manager of a big national enterprise, for the adoption by the Moroccan parliament of the new family law, a law which has a fundamental consequence for women in Morocco as they will have the possibility to participate more in the economic and social development of the country, perfectly in accordance with our Muslim religion precepts.

Concerning women and business, the situation in Morocco is quite like that prevailing in most developing countries, which means an implication of Moroccan women under their potential. Indeed, cultural impedimenta explain for a large part the fact that only few of my fellow countrywomen invest the business world, a world considered as a men's world by excellence, but I think for the reasons hat I have previously mentioned, women are more disadvantaged than men when they want to create their own business or to climb the ladder in their professional activity whether in the private sector or in the civil service.

This situation is amply proven by the following figures:

Þ Women rate of the working population went from 14.7% in 1982 to 26.6% in 2003. Despite this increase, this rate remains low when compared to the same rate in industrialised countries.

Þ Although we do not have updated data, we estimate that the number of women company managers in Morocco is still low in comparison with the developed countries. A study carried out two or three years ago have shown that the number of women company managers is around 5000, this figure represents less than 0.5 % women working population having an activity.

Þ The same study had revealed that the companies managed by women are essentially small and medium enterprises or very small enterprises, this latter category is more suitable for woman as she can combine her family life with her professional activity.

Nevertheless, this weak implication of the Moroccan woman in business leadership does not reflect her huge potential and make unfortunately many competencies and know how unused. It is a pity if we consider that he business world has more to gain with more women leadership. Some polls carried out in a number of foreign countries showed that companies run by women are more stable, they offer more opportunities for participation and they have a long term vision, they are also more cautious and take care of environment.

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