Parliamentarian Jeehan Mahmood has stated more opportunities need to be provided for women to work in technical fields with a good pay. She made the remarks while speaking at the closing ceremony of the National Certificate 3 in Electrician Course, conducted by State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) for women.
Speaking at the ceremony, Parliamentarian Jeehan noted the latest household expenditure survey shows a great disparity in the number of men and women working in technical fields, as well as their pay. She added the number of women holding senior positions, and the opportunities available for women to reach senior positions in their fields are also very low.
Noting most of the jobs dominated by women are comparatively lower paying jobs, Parliamentarian Jeehan said more women need to be provided the opportunity to advance and excel in technical fields such as electrical engineering. She said the belief that certain jobs can only be held by a specific gender is hindering the efforts to establish parity among the two genders in the employment market, and allow both genders an equal opportunity to generate a good income.
Parliamentarian Jeehan, who is the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Gender, welcomed the initiative by STELCO to conduct a targeted programme for women in this field. She expressed hope the course would a stepping stone for women looking to advance in the field.
The National Certificate-3 in Electrician Course was initially undertaken by 20 individuals. However, due to complications of the COVID-19 pandemic, only 10 individuals were able to complete the course. STELCO revealed plans to conduct another round of the course later this year.