AMMAN - HRH Princess Basma on Thursday underlined the importance of investing in the capabilities and experiences of women who retire early in order to motivate them to continue to contribute to the development process .

Princess Basma made the remarks at a conference on “women′s experience”, which was organised by Khebrat Women Society in cooperation with the Jordanian National Commission for Women .

She added that early retirement resulted in large numbers of experienced women being unemployed or looking for jobs, despite the fact that they have the time, experience and capability to continue in service .

President of the Khebrat Society Samar Hammad said one of the main objectives of the organisation is to help these women find employment .

“Some women are forced to leave their jobs while they are young for domestic reasons, such as to raise their children,” Hammad said, adding that a mechanism should be put in place to help these women resume work when they can .

“In order for them not to lose their jobs permanently, we suggested coming up with legislation that guarantees part time opportunities for this category,” Hammad told The Jordan Times, adding that this might help married women strike a balance between their job and home .

The participants also proposed amendments to the labour and civil service laws to guarantee gender equality at the workplace .

“We are still working on this recommendation to come up with a final draft,” Hammad explained .

Yesterday′s meeting also tackled the obstacles facing working women, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the community′s attitude towards working women and local legislation .