WHY SAWI?
Women in the region face structural barriers at the workplace. These barriers manifest in the weak policies for women's recruitment, retention, and promotion. Women get turned down from positions they aspire for or may not even apply at all to jobs in male dominated professions. Working women also tend to hold on to their jobs but retention is not equated with workplace wellbeing and work-life balance. Women also are barely represented in senior and decision-making positions. We know these facts and we measured them in the KIP Index using surveys from employers, we also captured women's voices and perceptions in the Lived Experience Index.
Women should not bear the burdens on their own. Employers and Human Resource managers can play a role in facilitating women's access to jobs they deserve, improve workplace wellbeing, and increase women's rates of promotion to top positions.
SAWI Project, which stands for “Support and Accelerate Women's Inclusion", has established a transnational network of employers to develop, improve, and implement inclusive policies and practices for better recruitment, retention, and promotion of women. Together with our partners, we work towards national action plans for the dignified and sustainable inclusion of women in formal economies across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
SAWI is operating in Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Against all odds, our network of trailblazing employers are championing inclusive policies.
Women's dignified careers and workplace wellbeing is important for economic growth, social development, and women's lives. Join us, in refusing to sit and wait, our multi-stakeholder partnerships and evidence-based approaches can successfully accelerate women's inclusion.
OBJECTIVES
MOVING FORWARD WITH SAWI PHASE TWO
SAWI began as a pilot project at the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) focused on tackling the human resource management and other structural obstacles for women’s economic inclusion in the region. In partnership with Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, this new phase will expand the transnational mobilizing efforts for women’s dignified economic participation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, cement partnerships, and continue to build a wider network of researchers, practitioners, and economic stakeholders. What to expect moving forward?
MAIN CAMPAIGNS
International Women's Day 2023
It is time to #EmbraceEquity on International Women's Day 2023 and every day! Equity for SAWI means inclusive and gender-responsive policies practices and structures for women’s recruitment, retention, and promotion. Equity is having fair opportunities to access to work to engage in workplaces, and rise up the ranks. Equity is solidarity against discrimination and workplace bias.
Mother's Day 2023
Despite recent progress, women continue to bear the majority of the caregiving responsibilities for children, elderly relatives, and other family members. On Mother's Day 2023, we called on human resource managers and decision-makers to work together to overcome the barriers that women face at home and at work! We reaffirmed our commitment to taking action to create a better future for all mothers and caregivers. We can all play a role in building a more just and equitable world for everyone!
SAWI FUNDER
The SAWI project was made possible through generous funding of the US State Department and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
PARTNERS
Our milestones have been made possible thanks to the partners we have worked with in eight countries (Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia). These partnerships are critical to the building and delivery of an inclusive culture in the region.
