16.4 percent of Moroccan households are led by women

In Morocco, 16.4 % of households are led by women, according to the findings of a national survey conducted in 1997-98 by the statistics department.

The percentage goes up in cities to 19.3 % where one household out of five is headed by a woman while in rural areas it stands at 12.3 % (one household out of ten).

The survey unveiled that these women household-leaders must take care of an average of 4 persons, mainly young children and elderly and that 71.7 % of them are widows or divorced women.

Illiteracy rate among these women stands at 83.3 %. The survey however showed that in the women-headed families, children schooling rate, especially girls, is higher. The percentage of households where children are not sent to school stands at 35% for households led by men and 28.3 % for households led by women.

The survey also unveiled that 59.9 of these women are unemployed and that the active ones work mainly as farm hand, employees or medium executives.