WP 92 - An overview of women's work and employment in Azerbaijan

M. van Klaveren, K.G. Tijdens, M. Hughie-Williams and N.E. Ramos Martin

According to UNESCO figures based on administrative data, the net enrollment ratio in primary educa-
tion was in 2006 84.8%, somewhat lower compared to 2000 when this rate was 90.9%. The 2006 rate for
girls was 83.3% and for boys 86.2%, implying 96.5% women to men parity. Another important indicator
concerning primary educational advancement is the primary completion rate, taking account of drop-outs
and indicating which share of the children who have enrolled in the first grade of primary education can
be expected to reach the last grade. With 91.9% in 2006, this rate was high in Azerbaijan; the girls’ rate was
90.0% and boys’ rate 93.7%, bringing women to men parity at 96%. Earlier MICS survey data, as of 2000,
showed net attendance rates higher than the administrative enrollment rates eight years later. By then, with
91.0% the female net attendance rate was slightly higher than the male rate (90.8%); the urban attendance
rate (91.6%) was somewhat higher than the rural rate (90.2%), whereas the rate for the richest 20% (93.6%)
was clearly higher than the one for the poorest 20% (88.7%) (UNESCO 2010).

Again according to UNESCO 2006 figures based on administrative data, the net enrollment ratio in
secondary education was 77.8%, divided in 76.4% for females and 79.2% for males, or (again) 96.5% women
to men parity. Compared to the 2000 MICS survey net attendance rates of total 85.8%, females 84.4% and
males 87.2%, this was consistently 8%points lower. Also at secondary level, the urban attendance rate was
slightly higher than the rural one (86.9% against 84.6%), and children from the richest 20% families had
a clearly higher rate than those from the 20% poorest: 89.5% against 81.4%. Worst-off were girls from
the poorest 20% families, with an attendance rate of 80.8%, versus 82.1% for boys from the poorest 20%
(UNESCO 2010).

The vocational and tertiary education sector in Azerbaijan is characterized by a large drop in enroll-
ments compared with those at the compulsory levels of education. Beyond the age of 16, enrollment rates
drop off sharply: in 2004 only 13% of young adults aged 17—24 were enrolled in postsecondary institu-
tions (ADB 2005). Enrollment of young women in tertiary education is lower than that of young males,
though the gap seems to be closing. At the beginning of the academic year 2006-2007, female students
made up 47% of all tertiary students, implying over 88% women to men parity in tertiary education (ADB
2009a; SSC via website AGIC) -- a 18%points increase. However, with 29% female participation in voca-
tional schools and vocational lyceums is relatively low. The same applies to organizations with postgraduate
courses and institutions with doctor’s degree, where the female share stuck at 28%. Choices of study at state
higher educational institutions are still quite very gendered. Young women tend to opt for courses in fields
such as education (in 2006-07 88% women), public health (67% women), natural sciences (73% women),

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