Moroccan Women Face Increased Domestic Workload Amid COVID-19 Challenges, Study Finds

In 2020, the domestic workload borne by women increased on average by 33 minutes per day during the lockdown period compared to a normal day before the lockdown. The unemployment rate for women has increased in both rural and urban areas. Women devote 20.8% of their daily time to domestic work and only 5.6% to professional activities. The time devoted to professional activities does not free them from their family responsibilities. Thus, they continue to bear the burden of domestic work, devoting 4 hours and 18 minutes to it daily, or just 1 hour and 42 minutes less than housewives. With the time allocated to professional and domestic activities, the daily workload of the employed woman reaches an average of 6 hours and 21 minutes. The weight of the time devoted to domestic activities represents 79% of this workload.

In addition to domestic work, the HCP study also looked at the acts of violence suffered by women. It clearly appears that in 2019, more than 7.6 million women, or 57.1%, have suffered at least one act of violence, in all contexts and forms combined. Regardless of their position of responsibility, women are subjected to violence. Domestic violence is at the top of the list, with psychological violence in the background, with a prevalence of 46.1%. The educational environment comes in second place with 22.4% of students or female students having suffered an act of violence in the last 12 months. In the professional environment, 15.1% of women are subjected to violence in the exercise of their activities. In public spaces, 12.6% of women have suffered an act of violence.

Still on the subject of violence against women, in all contexts combined, the note published by the HCP shows that 22.8% of these women or their families had to bear the direct or indirect costs of the violence. The overall cost of this violence is estimated at 2.85 billion dirhams, or 957 dirhams per victim. The study carried out by the HCP also revealed a decrease in poverty and vulnerability of women in recent months. In 2020, compared to the pre-confinement period, the average monthly income of employed women decreased by 42% compared to 52% for men.