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Social Mobility in Morocco (Blogger #3: Ability or Social Status)

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Just as everywhere else in the world, wealth is directly linked to quality of life in Morocco. There also exists great distances between the rich and the poor of Morocco, commonly referred to as a “wealth gap.” In Morocco, the wealth gap is exacerbated by a mix of social, cultural, and legal factors. Socially, there exists a disconnect between rural and urbanized areas. Those in rural regions often lack access to education, healthcare, and other government services, further restricting opportunities for social mobility. Culturally, societal norms and gender roles can limit women’s access to job opportunities. In 2023, labor force participation among Moroccan women over the age of 15 was reported at 19.8%, compared to 68.3% of Moroccan men 15 or older (ILO, 2024). Whether this be from familial expectations to become a homemaker or lack of positions available, the fact remains that only 1 in 5 Moroccan women receive a paycheck, and therefore have financial independence. While strides hav
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"Women are More Detail-Oriented": Employment Segregation and Gender Stereotypes in Morocco (Sexual Orientation or Gender Roles)

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During one of our first factory tours in Morocco, the citrus processing facility, we were told over and over again that the plant mostly employed women on the floor because women are "more detail-oriented," and therefore produced a higher quality product. This trend continued throughout our trip, where floors of women in white coats carefully combed through every type of produce imaginable, from blueberries to dates to citrus varieties. This reflects common gender stereotypes that women are more precise in their work and men are better suited for big-picture roles. Stereotypes like these can be harmful because they are widespread, subconsciously activated, and directly impact the social mobility of women (Heilman, 2012). This could also be due to the relatively low training and education required for these roles, as while there have been some strides in the gender education gap in Morocco, challenges remain in rural areas throughout the kingdom (Kolovich & Ndoye, 2023). 
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Education in Morocco

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     Education in Morocco has become more accessible, but there is still room for improvement, particularly in rural areas. In Morocco, most young children around ages 6-15 are required to have an education that is free, however, many girls in rural areas do not attend, and many students do not stay enrolled past the secondary level (Melissa W., 2022). Something that stood out to me while traveling through some of the rural areas in Morocco, was that many young children were walking or riding bikes by themselves to get to and from school, which may make it challenging for them to stay motivated to go to school every day. Children whose head of the house has a higher educational background are 2.9 times more likely to attend school than those who have a father who does not (Rahhou, 2023). Despite these challenges, the quality of education for those attending school and seeking higher education has progressed. The literacy rate for adults in Morocco has increased to 74% since Morocco gai
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Ability and Social Status

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          According to Focus Economics, the service industry accounts for 61% of Morocco’s GDP. (2021) This was something that I noticed while visiting Morocco: majority of the economy seems to be service/tourism focused. I say this recognizing that our view was very skewed toward the tourist experience, but this made me look further into their economy makeup. We shared many different experiences within the service sector during our two weeks and one trait I noticed most was the relationship between the person in the service role and who they were serving seemed to be very different than what I have experienced in the US. I recognized that there was a large degree of separation between the two parties when it came to connecting with one another. For example, our tour guide, Mahammad, while always being friendly and attending to our needs, he never pursued a deeper relationship with our group. He would eat separately at meals, did not share parts of his personal life unless asked, and n
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Gender Roles in Agriculture

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            Before we started our journey in Morocco, I was curious about the gender roles within Moroccan society and if women were treated equal to their male counterparts. I had heard rumors about the “Muslim way” of treating women as property to be owned; In all reality, I soon learned that is the farthest thing from the truth. I believe that most Americans have a very skewed view of Islamic cultures and their beliefs because of our limited view of radical groups loosely connected to the religion. While the common stereotype I had heard was proven to be vastly blown out of proportion, I did learn that the gender roles they live by are fairly different than our own.  When visiting ag operations across the country, I noticed Moroccan culture has specific roles for each gender within the labor/service sectors. Focusing on agriculture, I surprisingly found that about 57% of the agriculture labor force is female (1994). In these roles, they emphasize the way that women are “detail ori
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Social Status

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 Morocco faces considerable obstacles in its social mobility because of structural impediments and deeply ingrained social inequality. According to the Global Social Mobility Index,  social mobility ranking of 73rd out of 82 countries highlights enduring barriers to advancement that are made worse by differences in access to opportunities for both education and work. Socioeconomic position has a significant impact on access to high-quality education, with private education being mostly available to the wealthier classes.  During visits to institutions like the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA), students revealed that many peers choose to enter the workforce directly rather than pursue higher education.  This decision is frequently the result of financial strains and the  immediate need to find employment after high school.   According to experts and numerous studies, disparities in educational opportunities in Morocco start early, even before primary school. Preschool educati
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Social Status

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