Demographic characteristics of urban women in the districts of Hilla and Mahaweel

Abstract

The research aimed to reveal the demographic characteristics of urban women at the urban level of the districts of Hilla and Al-Mahawil, their geographical distribution, spatial and temporal variation, and the problems they face in order to address them. The research relied on census data (1997) and estimates (2011, 2017, 2021) and the field study for the year (2023), as well as office sources, as reliance was made on statistical methods using the statistical analysis program (SPSS), and a set of important maps were prepared by systems Geographic information (GIS).The study reached several results, most notably:The Hilla district center occupied the first place in terms of the number of urban women, with a percentage of more than (76.7%) of the total number of urban women in the two districts. It was found that the largest part of the urban women was their hometown in the urban areas, reaching (532) urban women out of (634) women. The number of urban women whose hometowns are in rural areas is (102) rural women. It became clear through the field study that the percentage of married females was very high, recording the highest rates, amounting to (52.1%), followed by early females (unmarried) at (33.6%). The field study also showed that the age at marriage for women in the districts of Hilla and Mahaweel increases in the age group (20-24 years) by (36.8%). It was found that the age group (20-29 years) represented the highest percentage of urban women in the districts of Hilla and Al-Mahawil, as the number of urban women reached (244) urban women, constituting a rate of (38.5%). It turned out that the average birth rate for urban women in the districts of Hilla and Mahaweel was (4) births / women. It was found that the problem of the lack of job opportunities for urban women came in the first rank among the total problems facing urban women in the districts of Hilla and Al-Mahaweel, with a rate of (32.2%).