Armenia

Armenia Country Gender Assessment124. A tracer study of 451 graduates of vocational education and training in twomarzer (of whom more than half were women) found that only slightly more than onethirdof graduates considered themselves employed. 165 Although the study was limited inscope and its gender perspective, it nevertheless presented some information about thesuccess of these graduates in the labor market. For instance, women made up only 35.8%of employed graduates, but the share of self-employed women was higher than men.Agriculture and engineering graduates reported the highest employment rates (75.0%and 48.1%, respectively), while graduates of education and health care programs had thelowest employment rates (26.3% and 22.6%, respectively). 166 It is significant that in theyear of the assessment, women represented 19.1% of agriculture students in secondaryeducational institutions but 85.1% of students in health and 81.7% in pedagogy. 167 Femalegraduates were also earning less than males. Most of the women reported earning less thanAMD50,000 per month (51.7%) while the largest group of male graduates were earningAMD50,0001–AMD100,000 (48.1%). No female graduates had monthly salaries of morethan AMD100,000. 168125. Interestingly, female graduates were much more likely than male graduates to see“a correlation between investment in education and better employment opportunitiesand living standards,” as almost two-thirds of women had this response as compared withjust under one-half of men. 169 Such a finding suggests that women and men have differentexpectations about how they will use their professional education. Still, the study alsofound that among vocational graduates, most were motivated by personal interests whenchoosing a field of study and not by prospective jobs, so it appears that young peoplegenerally do not “see an inseparable link between [vocational education and training] andfuture employment.” 170 Further study is needed to better understand whether the qualityof education that women, in particular, receive in their areas of study is meeting labormarket demands and also whether vocational guidance could be improved so that youngwomen are assisted to enter key fields where jobs are available.126. One of the goals of the Gender Policy Strategic Action Plan is to ensure thatwomen and men have equal access to educational services, but there is no specificprovision on positive measures to encourage either women or men to enter nontraditionalinstitutions or courses. During this assessment, some initiatives were found to havebeen aimed at young women. For example, in 2013, a forum, Tech Needs Girls, wasorganized jointly by the American University of Armenia, the Ministry of Economy, UnitedStates Agency for International Development (USAID), NGOs, and several businessesto encourage secondary school-age girls to consider academic paths and careers ininformation and communication technology. 171 The Ministry of Defense also announcedthat two military universities would accept female students for the first time for the 2013–2014 academic year. 172165 European Training Foundation and Caucasus Research Resource Centers Armenia. 2012. Tracer Study of Recent Graduates fromVocational Education Institutions in Kotayk and Ararat Marzes of Armenia. Turin. p. 7.166 Ibid., p. 18.167 National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia. 2010. Women and Men in Armenia 2010. Yerevan. p. 80.168 Tracer Study of Recent Graduates from Vocational Education Institutions in Kotayk and Ararat Marzes of Armenia, p. 49.169 Ibid., p. 30.170 Ibid., p. 8.171 Panorama.am. 2013. Armenia Marks International Girls in ICT Day. 25 April. http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2013/04/25/girls-inict/172 RIA Novosti. 2013. Armenian Military Universities Open Doors to Women. 6 June. http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20130606/181536514/Armenian-Military-Universities-Open-Doors-to-Women.html38