Exploring Strategies to Close the Gender Gap in Maldivian Employment

The Maldives faces a significant challenge with a 31% gender gap in its workforce. Addressing this gap requires understanding the barriers women face in entering and thriving in various employment sectors. The SAILS Project recently hosted its First Roundtable Discussion on Diversifying Female Employment Professions, bringing together stakeholders to explore these challenges and develop practical solutions. This event marked an important step toward creating a more inclusive workforce in the Maldives.

Participants engaged in the first roundtable discussion on female employment in Maldives

Understanding the Current Situation

The roundtable began with a presentation by Naima Mohamed, Gender & Safeguards Specialist at the SAILS Project, who outlined the existing government programs supporting women's employment. These initiatives aim to create opportunities but face obstacles related to societal norms, workplace culture, and sector-specific challenges.

The discussion focused on two key sectors: tourism and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). These fields offer significant employment potential but also present unique barriers for women.

Barriers to Female Employment in Key Sectors

Participants divided into groups to identify specific challenges in tourism and STEM:

• Tourism Sector

Women often encounter limited career advancement opportunities and gender stereotypes that restrict their roles to certain positions. Safety concerns and work-life balance issues also affect their participation.

• STEM Sector

The STEM field struggles with a lack of female role models and mentorship, leading to fewer women pursuing or continuing careers in these areas. Workplace biases and limited flexible work options further hinder female employment.

The session highlighted that these barriers are not isolated but interconnected, requiring comprehensive strategies to address them effectively.

Human Resource Challenges and Good Practices

The Maldives Association of Human Resource Professionals (MAHRP) shared insights on human resource management practices that support female employment. Key recommendations included:

• Implementing gender-sensitive recruitment and retention policies

• Providing mentorship and career development programs tailored for women

• Creating flexible work arrangements to accommodate family responsibilities

  
  

These practices have shown positive results in other contexts and could be adapted to the Maldivian workforce.

Presentation slide highlighting statistics of Maldivian women by 2062

Sharing Experiences and Designing Interventions

Two participants from tourism and STEM sectors shared their career journeys, emphasizing the importance of support systems such as mentorship, training, and networking. Their stories illustrated how targeted interventions can help women overcome obstacles and succeed professionally.

The group then brainstormed possible interventions, including:

• Expanding awareness campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes

• Enhancing collaboration between government, private sector, and NGOs to create employment pathways

• Developing sector-specific training programs for female graduates

• Establishing safe and inclusive workplace environments

  
  

Moving Forward

The roundtable concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders to work together in closing the gender gap. Understanding the barriers women face is the first step toward designing effective solutions that enable more female graduates to enter and thrive in the workforce.