Women Constitute 60% of Kuwait's Workforce in the Government Sector

 Supreme Council for Planning and Development (SCPD) Secretary General Dr Khaled Mahdi shared that women constitute 60% of Kuwait's workforce, in a panel discussion hosted by the UN House on Tuesday,

The event was organized for International Women's Day and to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Platform (WEEP). The private sector in Kuwait participates in the WEEP and they are supported by the UN Development Program (UNDP), UN Women and the Department of Women’s Studies at Kuwait University.

A recent study was discussed, which showed that 60% of Kuwait's workforce in the government sector is female employees. The percentage of women in leadership and decision-making positions has increased from 13% to 21%. 

The study also showed that there has also been an increase in the percentage of women in state scholarships and in civil society organizations. Furthermore, the participation of women on boards of directors of private companies has positively impacted the work environment and has improved the companies' financial statements. Women working in the human resources departments have also brought about positive outcomes for the companies they work in.

However, the percentage of women working in the private sector is lower than the participation of women in the government sector and one of the reasons for this is parental interference when parents redirect their daughters to work in the government sector.