Crosscutting Gender Issuesfor men the rate increased from 14% to 16%. 113 In 2012, women made up the slight majorityof the officially unemployed (51.8% of all unemployed persons). 114 Such figures shouldbe considered with some caution, as there are significant gaps between the real andregistered unemployment rates. For example, in 2007, the registered unemployment ratewas 7.0%, while the real unemployment rate was estimated to be 28.4%. 115 The high levelof male out-migration may obscure a higher male unemployment rate, as could the factthat women tend to register with government employment bodies more often than men,because men may not register if they plan to leave the country. National statistics alsoconceal regional variations in unemployment rates; according to a study conducted in Berdin 2013, 54% of women were unemployed mainly because of the closure in the mid-1990sof local factories, in which most women used to work. 116 But a staff member from a stateemployment center in Gyumri reported that 80% of job seekers there are women.94. The unemployment experiences of women and men reveal some genderdifferences. Most women become unemployed due to the closure of an enterprise (57.1%of all unemployed women), but men are equally likely to lose a job after enterprise closureor at the end of temporary or seasonal work (36.4% and 40.7% of all unemployed men,respectively). 117 Women are far more likely than men to become unemployed because of“family circumstances” (89.8% of those giving this reason for losing work are female). 118 Ina poll conducted in Yerevan, the primary reasons cited by unemployed women were theinability to find a job (25%), family duties (20%), and the family being opposed to themworking (14%). In contrast, most men who were unable to find a job cited as reasons fortheir unemployment “appropriate salary” (43%), followed by the inability to find a job ingeneral (19%); no one cited obligations to or restrictions by the family. 11995. Women spend longer searching for work than men. In 2012, women made up 63.7%of those who were unemployed for 4 or more years. 120 Men are more likely than women tofind work within 6 months, because a large number of unemployed men are engaged inseasonal work; so, if they are able to wait, job opportunities may become available in thefollowing season.3. Gendered Features of the Labor Market96. Horizontal and vertical labor market stratification. Of <strong>Armenia</strong>’s total employedworkers, 44% of women and 31% of men are engaged in agriculture, making the sectorthe largest employer of both women and men. 121 Excluding agriculture, the labor marketexhibits stratification in the type of work performed by men and women. Men tend toengage in a more diverse range of economic activities, while women are more concentratedin education, health services, and trade. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the proportion of maleand female employees in the principal nonagriculture sectors of the labor market.113 Women and Men in <strong>Armenia</strong> 2013, p. 129.114 Ibid., p. 128.115 Government of <strong>Armenia</strong> and the United Nations Country Team in <strong>Armenia</strong>. 2010. <strong>Armenia</strong>: MDG National Progress Report. Yerevan.p. 42.116 Berd Women’s Resource Center Foundation. 2013. The Socioeconomic Status of Women in the Berd Region of <strong>Armenia</strong>. Berd. p. 2.117 Women and Men in <strong>Armenia</strong> 2013, p. 128.118 Ibid.119 Women’s Resource Center. 2011. Gender Dimensions of the Labor Market in <strong>Armenia</strong>. Yerevan. p. 6.120 Ibid., p. 128.121 Ibid., p. 119.27
<strong>Armenia</strong> Country Gender AssessmentFigure 4: Male Employees by Nonagricultural Economic Activity, 20123.4%9.3%16.5%10.6%13.7%11.6%Industry Public administration, education, healthTrade, repair, food service ConstructionTransportation and storage Financial, real estate, scientificNote: 3.8% of men were engaged in other, unspecified employment.Source: National Statistical Service of the Republic of <strong>Armenia</strong>. 2013. Women and Men in <strong>Armenia</strong> 2013. Yerevan. p. 119.Figure 5: Female Employees by Nonagricultural Economic Activity, 20123.1%0.3%2.4%7.4%11.1%26.6%Industry Public administration, education, healthTrade, repair, food service ConstructionTransportation and storage Financial, real estate, scientificNote: 5.1% of women were engaged in other, unspecified, employment.Source: National Statistical Service of the Republic of <strong>Armenia</strong>. 2013. Women and Men in <strong>Armenia</strong> 2013. Yerevan. p. 119.Data from previous years, which did not aggregate employment in public administration,education, and health, showed distinct differences in female and male employment evenwithin this category (Figure 6).97. A comparison of labor market data for the last decade provides a mixed picture ofthe trends in economic activities of women and men. In some fields, gender segregationhas remained quite static, as is the case for employment in construction (97% were28
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