Background

Jordan has one of the lowest rates of female labour force participation both in the region and globally. The government introduced a maternity insurance fund under the Social Security Law (No. 7 of 2010) to alleviate employers’ costs for maternity leave. This fund provides maternity benefits through a 0.75% payroll contribution paid by employers, aiming to reduce gender-based hiring discrimination. The Social Security Corporation (SSC) reported an increase in beneficiaries from 9,524 in 2017 to 10,169 in 2018. The ILO commissioned Triangle to assess the impact of this fund on female labour force participation, employer attitudes, and the fund’s overall effectiveness.

Triangle’s Assignment

Triangle was commissioned to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the maternity insurance fund. The assessment involved qualitative research to capture the experiences of women, families, and businesses, and to understand the fund’s influence on employment decisions and business environments. Triangle’s role included collecting data through surveys, focus groups, and interviews, and producing detailed reports and media outputs to document findings and recommendations for improving the scheme.

Objectives

The assignment had several key objectives:

• To assess the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the maternity insurance fund.
• To identify challenges and successes in the fund’s implementation and derive lessons learned.
• To analyze how the fund influenced women’s decisions to join and stay in the workforce.
• To evaluate employer perspectives on the fund and its impact on hiring practices.
• To provide recommendations for enhancing the fund’s effectiveness and coverage.

Research Approach & Methodology

Triangle employed a mixed-method approach to gather comprehensive data for the assignment. The methodology included:

• Literature Review: Conducting an adaptive literature review of available documentation to frame the research context.
• Inception Report: Developing a detailed inception report outlining the research methodology, data collection tools, and sampling criteria.
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs): Organizing FGDs with women who have used, not used, or intend to use the fund, as well as with their spouses and employers.
• Key Informant Interviews (KIIs): Conducting interviews with experts, beneficiaries, employers, and representatives from SSC and ILO.
• Media Outputs: Producing short and long videos, high-resolution images, and social media posts to document and disseminate findings.
• Data Triangulation: Validating findings using both quantitative and qualitative data collected through surveys, interviews, and desk reviews.