Azerbaijan drafts bills to ensure gender equality

The State Labor Inspection under Azerbaijan's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population has made significant progress in improving the social legislative framework, with particular attention to gender equality, Deputy Head of the State Labor Inspection Service Narmin Mirzayeva said at a conference dedicated to the implementation of ESG standards, Report informs.

She noted that amendments to labor legislation have removed restrictions on women's involvement in certain heavy and hazardous work. The ban now applies only to pregnant women and mothers of children under one-year-old.

Thanks to the amendments, the number of professions prohibited for women has been reduced from 700 to 200.

New rules have also been introduced for involving women in business trips, overtime, and non-working days: specifically, involving pregnant women, women with children under 14, or women with disabled minor children is only possible with their consent.

Due to these changes, Azerbaijan's index in the World Bank's gender equality rating increased by 7%, reaching 85%.

Narmin Mirzayeva noted that new draft laws are being discussed: one aimed at combating sexual harassment, and another at ensuring equal pay for women and men for equal work. Work in this direction continues.