In recent years, a
seemingly endless stream of conferences, workshops, and studies have been
conducted to answer a key question for countries in the MENA region: Why do so few women in the region work?
اضافة اعلان
Currently, just 19 percent of MENA’s labor force is
female, the lowest worldwide. Despite plans and policies to address the gender
gap in employment, women remain sidelined at work, which is hurting families and
suppressing GDP growth across the region.
While the situation is not uniform in all Arab
countries, the reasons that keep women out of the labor force are mostly
common.
It is not that women are not eager to work outside
the home, but legal discrimination, social norms, the burden of childcare, low
wages, harassment, gender-related biases in hiring, and a dearth of safe
transportation options are among the many barriers hindering employment
ambitions.
And while none of this is new — strengthening female
labor force participation has been a global development goal for decades —
governments’ efforts to pursue labor market, education, and structural reforms
continue to languish.
Although the region’s women are better educated than
ever, educational attainment has not translated into an increase in jobs. In
fact, the unemployment rate among young women in Arab countries is 42.5
percent, nearly double that of young men (21.4 percent) and almost three times
the global average of 14.9 percent.
In conflict-riddled countries like Yemen and Iraq,
female labor force participation is the lowest in the region — 6 percent and 11
percent, respectively. But even in Jordan, a country not at war, only 13
percent of women work outside the home, according to the World Bank.
Jordan’s struggles to close this gap are
illustrative. Already burdened with high unemployment — it hit 23 percent last
year — the country has faced a confluence of negative economic trends, not to
mention disruptions caused by COVID-19. And despite reforms to the school
curriculum, the education system continues to stereotype and sideline women,
depicting them as inferior to men and limiting their role in society.
Given these failings, it is not surprising that
women are underrepresented in politics. There are just 15 women in the
130-member Lower House of Parliament — the minimum required under a gender
quota system. In the Cabinet, there are only two women, while 28 other
ministerial positions are occupied by men.
Although the region’s women are better educated than ever, educational attainment has not translated into an increase in jobs. In fact, the unemployment rate among young women in Arab countries is 42.5 percent, nearly double that of young men (21.4 percent) and almost three times the global average of 14.9 percent.
In a patriarchal society, social norms are not easy
to change. Challenging gender stereotypes and granting women equal rights often
raises the ire of conservatives and Islamists, who see progress as an attack on
Islamic values or linked to foreign agendas.
Sadly, these are not fringe ideas. A 2019 UN study found that in Jordan, weak legal protections and harmful views on
gender conspire to keep women out of the labor force. These challenges were
found at “every possible level directly and indirectly”, the report said,
ranging from “what kind of work and what working hours are considered socially
acceptable … to gender assigned roles that limit women’s role to child rearing
and housekeeping”.
Three years later, little has changed. Jordan scored
46.9 out of 100 in the Women, Business, and the Law 2022 report, an index
covering 190 countries that assesses the laws and regulations that impact
women’s economic opportunities. Jordan’s score is lower than the regional
average of 53 percent.
It is inexplicable that women in Jordan, who can
receive alimony, still need a spouse’s consent to work. It is even more
frustrating that a male guardianship system intended to protect women imposes
restrictions on their mobility, and even allows a male guardian to report women
absent, subjecting them to arrest.
As consumer prices continue to rise, it is becoming
increasingly difficult for families to survive on one income. Many women want
to work, but social conditioning has taught men that it is a wife’s duty to do
the household chores and raise the children. A husband who shares
responsibilities with his partner is viewed as doing his wife a favor.
To be sure, the region has begun to bridge the
gender divide with policies, laws, and well-meaning commitments to change. In
Saudi Arabia, where the country is undergoing radical economic and social
reforms, the rate of employment for women has risen dramatically, to more than
30 percent. In other Gulf countries, like the UAE and Kuwait, the figure is
nearly 50 percent.
Despite these gains, much work remains to be done.
Possible steps include protecting women from discrimination during pregnancy
and while on maternity leave; establishing workplace nurseries; and penalizing
employers that discriminate based on gender.
And yet, lasting improvements in women’s workforce
participation – in Jordan and beyond — will require the implementation of laws
that empower women in all aspects of life. Social norms and stereotyping must
be challenged — in the media, at school, in the home. The women of the MENA region are not
inferior to men; the kitchen is not our kingdom. We have so much more to offer
than that.
Suha Ma'ayeh is a journalist based in Amman. Her work has been published in Foreign
Policy and CTC Sentinel. She also reports for The Wall Street Journal and other
publications on Jordan and southern Syria. Syndication Bureau.
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