Page 54 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

Delaplace, Marie.

The average wage in the private sector varies between MAD 4,811 (EUR 442), for the 3 million
employees affiliated to the National Social‐Security Fund (CNSS), and MAD 11,205.60 for the
580,000 employees affiliated to the Moroccan Interprofessional Pension Fund (CIMR), for a
total employed labour force of 11.5 million. However, just over 87% of workers affiliated
with the CNSS receive less than MAD 6,000 per month, and 43.4% receive a sum equal to or
lower than the minimum wage.
Finally, the inactive population amounts to just over 22 million and the unemployment rate
stands at 16.4%.

With this in mind, a Casablanca–Tangier high‐speed rail ticket would represent a little more
27
than 5.8% (MAD 150 / MAD 2,579) of the minimum wage . It should therefore be noted that
prices represent a relatively small percentage of income.

Of course, not all Moroccans are salaried, and some earn less than the minimum wage.
Moreover, Morocco is characterized by significant inequalities that are likely to lead to
inequalities in HSR use.

4.5 Potential inequalities deriving from possible uses linked to gender
inequalities

While high‐speed rail is used for long‐distance mobility associated with professional travel or
commuting (see above), we have little data on these mobilities in Morocco .
28
These being the case, professional mobility or long‐distance commuting are often linked
to income and/or a high level of education. Furthermore, Morocco is characterized by an
average duration of schooling for the population aged over 25 that is not just very low (5
years) but also much lower than other countries in the same category (for which the average
is 6.6 years), and even less that the average duration in sub‐Saharan Africa (5.4 years).
In addition, educational inequalities are very marked. For example, Morocco’s inequality‐
adjusted education index (0.273; see Table 4 above) is much lower than the other countries
in its category . Moreover, it is also characterized by a GenderRelated Development Index
29
(GDI) of 0.826, which is at a lower level than other countries in the same region, such as
Algeria or Tunisia, or than countries in the same category (lower‐middle‐income countries).
This GDI value signifies that the level of human development of Moroccan women is only
82.6% of that of men, compared with an average of 87.1% for countries with average human
development and 84.9% for countries with weak human development; this rate is lower than
that of sub‐Saharan African countries. And it is once again educational inequalities that are
at stake: the average duration of schooling for women over 25 is just 3.8 years, compared
with 6.4 for men.

In this domain, too, Morocco is characterized by results equivalent to those of the least
developed countries in the world. As noted in the UNDP Africa report, “gender disparities are
particularly acute in Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania” (UNDP, 2016, p. 174). An analysis of the
different elements of gender inequality in Morocco shows that women’s incomes are 30% lower
than those of men, as is the case everywhere in North Africa. Morocco is also characterized by

27 For comparison, a normal Paris–Strasbourg ticket costs between EUR 107 and EUR 149 in second class – that is,
between 9.3% and 13% of the net minimum wage (EUR 1,149 per month).
28 Except for trips outside Morocco (whether migratory or tourism‐related), but these are not of interest for
this analysis.
29 The index for Morocco is on a par with some of the countries with the lowest human development indices on the planet (Haiti,
Togo, etc.).

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