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Nazrin Abdul

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As Azerbaijan continues its journey toward gender equality in the workplace, initiatives such as the World Bank's AZTAF program have played a critical role in transforming the landscape for women’s employment. Shamsiyya Mustafayeva, Senior Gender Consultant at the World Bank, sat down to discuss the remarkable strides made in the country’s gender equality efforts, as well as the hurdles still to overcome.

In her interview with Azernews, Mustafayeva offers insights into the key challenges women face in Azerbaijan’s workforce, particularly in traditionally male-dominated industries such as transport and technical sectors, and shares recommendations for ensuring lasting change.

What is the AZTAF Program?

It is worth noting that in February 2022, the European Union (EU) and the World Bank (WB) launched a transformative initiative for Azerbaijan: the Azerbaijan Rapid Technical Assistance Facility (AZTAF). With a total budget of EUR 5.25 million, this three-year program aims to provide crucial advisory, analytical support, and capacity building to the Government of Azerbaijan in alignment with the country's 2030 National Priorities. Funded by the EU and managed by the World Bank, the AZTAF program supports four key areas: strengthening institutions and governance, enhancing economic development and market opportunities, improving connectivity, and promoting energy efficiency, environmental sustainability, and climate action.

One of the key focus areas of the AZTAF program is inclusive growth and social inclusion, which includes promoting gender equality in the workplace. Through this initiative, the World Bank is working closely with Azerbaijan to remove barriers to women's participation in various sectors and ensure equal opportunities for all. This aligns with the country's broader vision of creating a more inclusive economy. Shamsiyya Mustafayeva, Senior Gender Consultant at the World Bank, spoke with us about the World Bank’s role in supporting gender equality, the AZTAF program’s contributions, and the ongoing efforts to overcome barriers for women in the workforce.

Removing barriers: The AZTAF Program and women’s employment

Mustafayeva began by emphasizing the Azerbaijani government's crucial role in advancing women’s rights in the workforce, alongside the World Bank’s support. “The World Bank aligns its efforts with the government’s policies,” she explained. “The Azerbaijani government has been in the driver’s seat, and our role is to help implement its vision.”

A significant breakthrough came in 2022 when the Azerbaijani government, with the support of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, decided to lift a long-standing Soviet-era prohibition that restricted women from working in 675 professions. This move, which Mustafayeva calls “huge,” enables women to pursue careers in fields previously closed off to them, such as oil, gas, and mining. However, while the policy change is a major step forward, there are still considerable challenges ahead, particularly in encouraging women to enter technical fields.

The Root of the problem: Social barriers and gender stereotypes

Despite the legal changes, Mustafayeva highlighted the persistence of social and cultural barriers that prevent women from fully participating in these newly opened professions. One major obstacle is the lack of women pursuing studies in STEM. “If we don’t encourage girls to study STEM subjects, we won’t have female engineers, and without them, women won’t be able to fill technical roles,” she explained.

She also pointed to societal stereotypes about gender roles, which influence both girls' and boys' career choices from a young age. “We need to change the mindset that certain professions are for men only,” Mustafayeva urged, recalling how even teachers in engineering fields may reinforce outdated views, unintentionally discouraging girls from pursuing these careers.

Furthermore, the burden of household responsibilities often falls disproportionately on women, making it harder for them to compete on equal footing with men in the workplace. Mustafayeva stressed the importance of flexible working hours, paid paternity leave, and the establishment of better childcare services to alleviate this burden. “There is a lot that both the government and companies can do,” she said. “The government can improve infrastructure, such as kindergartens and schools, while companies can ensure fair hiring and promotion practices and offer flexible work arrangements.”

Progress in the transport sector: Challenges and opportunities

Turning to the transport sector, Mustafayeva shared the findings from the gender assessment at Baku Port and Azerbaijan Railways. The data showed that women remain significantly underrepresented in both technical roles and leadership positions within these industries, with female representation in the workforce ranging from just 10% to 17%. While this mirrors global trends in the transport sector, where women’s participation is traditionally low, Azerbaijan is taking proactive steps to close the gender gap.

“Both Baku Port and Azerbaijan Railways are making commendable efforts to change this. For example, the Port of Baku has set a 20% target for women in leadership and technical positions by 2030,” Mustafayeva noted.

Additionally, Azerbaijan Railways has made history by training women to become machinists—the first women to operate trains in Azerbaijan’s railway system.

Both institutions are reforming their policies to ensure fair hiring and promotion processes. Positive discrimination is sometimes being used to increase female representation in specific sectors, such as crane operation at the Port of Baku, where the first female crane operator was hired in 2023 after more than 70 years of male-only occupation in this role.

Sustaining progress: Moving forward

Despite the positive changes, Mustafayeva emphasized that the road to gender equality in the workplace is far from complete. The government, businesses, and society must continue to push for progress on multiple fronts—changing attitudes, dismantling stereotypes, and ensuring that women have equal opportunities to succeed in every field.

“We need to create an environment where women can thrive and fulfill their potential,” she said. “Azerbaijan, like many other countries, needs to tap into the full potential of its population, and that means ensuring that women have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the economy.”

In her closing remarks, Mustafayeva reflected on the importance of continued investment in gender equality initiatives. “It’s about creating an environment where both women and men have equal access to opportunities, where their potential is recognized and nurtured, regardless of their gender,” she concluded.

Azerbaijan’s journey toward gender equality is well underway, with significant milestones like the AZTAF program and the removal of restrictive laws creating new avenues for women’s participation in the workforce. However, real, lasting change will require concerted efforts across all sectors of society—government, businesses, educational institutions, and families—to break down the cultural and structural barriers that still hinder women’s full potential. The World Bank’s continued collaboration with the Azerbaijani government signals a positive outlook, but as Mustafayeva pointed out, the work must not stop until women everywhere in Azerbaijan can pursue careers of their choosing, unencumbered by outdated norms or systemic discrimination.