This report explores the key issues relating to women’s employment in Azerbaijan and offers recommendations to policymakers and companies for tackling gender-based occupational segregation in the labor market and increasing women’s participation in sectors where they are underrepresented. The report specifically examines gender gaps within the transport sector, presenting the findings of gender assessments conducted for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) and International Trade and Sea Port of Baku (PoB) as part of the World Bank’s Strengthening women’s human capital for their better labor market outcomes 2023-2024 initiative within the European Union (EU)-funded Azerbaijan Rapid Technical Assistance Facility (AZTAF). The insights and recommendations presented in this report are relevant to a broad range of stakeholders committed to fostering equal opportunity in the workplace and strengthening women’s human capital in Azerbaijan and beyond, including policymakers and companies in transport and other male-dominated sectors. They are particularly pertinent to large male-dominated organizations in the early stages of formulating their gender strategies and undergoing significant modernization efforts within transport and related fields.
Authors
Kurshitashvili, Nato, Mustafayeva, Shamsiyya, Mammadov, Tural, Mynbayeva, Jans, Kelly, Sam, Newitt, Kirsten
- Citation
- “ Kurshitashvili, Nato ; Mustafayeva, Shamsiyya ; Mammadov, Tural ; Mynbayeva, Jans ; Kelly, Sam ; Newitt, Kirsten . 2024 . Breaking Barriers to Women’s Employment in Azerbaijan . © Washington, DC: World Bank . http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42399 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO . ”
- Collection(s)
- Women in Development and Gender Study
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1596/42399
- Pages
- 60
- Published in
- United States of America
- Rights
- CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO
- Rights Holder
- World Bank
- Rights URI
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo
- URI
- https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42399
Files
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- Disclaimer 2
- Contents 3
- Abbreviations 4
- Acknowledgments 5
- Executive Summary 6
- Key findings 7
- Recommendations 10
- 1. Introduction 15
- 1.1. Context 17
- 1.2. Structure of the report 18
- 1.3. Methodology 20
- 1.3.1 Company gender assessments 21
- 2. Women’s employment in Azerbaijan 22
- 2.1. National policy and legislative commitments to gender equality 24
- 2.2. Women’s participation in the labor market 26
- 2.3. Key challenges to women’s employment in male-dominated technical sectors 28
- 2.3.1. Technical education and skills 28
- 2.3.2. Gender bias and stereotypes 28
- 2.3.3. Care responsibilities and lack of flexible working arrangements 30
- 2.3.4. Gender-based violence and harassment 31
- 3. Increasing women’s participation in the transport sector: Azerbaijan Railways and Port of Baku 33
- 3.1. Workforce profile 34
- 3.2. Attraction: Encouraging more women to pursue careers in the transport sector 34
- 3.3. Recruitment: Increasing the number of women joining the company 36
- 3.4. Inclusion at work: Building a respectful and safe work environment for all employees 38
- 3.5. Progression: Supporting women’s professional developmentand advancement toleadership roles 39
- 4. Examples of best practices on equal opportunity and women’s empowerment in Azerbaijan 43
- 4.1. Technical skills training, mentoring, and scholarships for female engineering students: Sumgait Technologies Park (STP) Group of Companies 44
- 4.2. Building respectful and inclusive workplaces: Coca-Cola Içecek 45
- 4.3. Supporting women’s access to education through scholarships: AGA Group of Companies 46
- 4.4. Professional development program for women: Nobel Energy 46
- 4.5. Organizational diversity and inclusion strategy and flexible workingarrangements: Azerconnect 47
- 5. Recommendations 48
- 5.1. Recommendations for policymakers 50
- 5.2. Recommendations for companies 53
- References 57
