By

Joshua Pringle

The math is simple. If a post-conflict country in the Middle East-North Africa region (MENA) wants to develop its institutions and grow economically, it is better off utilizing all of its human capital. Leaving women out of the equation is like building a house and leaving half your tools behind.

Unfortunately, across MENA, the picture is bleak for women. According to the 2012 Economist Intelligence Unit report, female labor participation in MENA is the lowest in the world—below 30 percent.[1] This is of course directly attributable to the difficulty women have accessing quality education, as the region also has some of the lowest female enrollment and literacy rates in the world.

However, even when women are able to get a university education, they still find it far more challenging than men to find a decent job. In Lebanon, 54 percent of university students are women, and yet women make up only 26 percent of the workforce, according to the United Nations Statistics Division.[2] When it comes to senior management and legislative positions, they hold only 8 percent of those jobs. In Qatar, women make up 63 percent of the university population, yet only 12 percent of the workforce.[3] In Iraq, 68 percent of women with a bachelor’s degree were unemployed in 2011, according to an Iraq Knowledge Network survey.[4]

Religious and cultural mores inhibit women’s progress in a number of ways. Many girls are encouraged to drop out of school and get married at an early age. In some countries, such as Yemen, mixed-gender classrooms are discouraged, which often leaves communities without enough schools for girls.[5] Other communities in the region view female education negatively in general. Women also have fewer protections against violence, and are allowed less of a political voice.

Even in countries where the government has made an effort to support female education and employment, socio-economic discrimination has been stubborn to budge. In Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah has invested massively in providing scholarships and creating jobs for women, realizing the boost this could give the Saudi economy. Yet unemployment in the country is still five times greater among women.[6] Maybe Abdullah would have better luck moving things forward if he started letting women drive and vote. We dare to dream.

Some of these issues are evolving, but it’s an uphill battle. Abstract arguments about economics or human rights are unlikely to unmoor the mores that have been in place for generations. Change requires engagement on a number of fronts, ranging from subversive political activism to simple community dialogue. One can see a certain circle of irony in the dynamics at work: For women to become more empowered, cultural transformation is required, and for cultural transformation to occur, women need to become more empowered. And it’s in everyone’s best interest to utilize all of the population’s brainpower, but part of the population doesn’t have the brainpower to see that.

Several initiatives are doing important work in the region. In Egypt, Save the Children’s Ishraq helps girls who have dropped out of school learn math and literacy, understand sexual and reproductive health, boost self-confidence, and re-enroll in school.[7] In Lebanon, Media Supporting Women Leaders encourages professional women to participate in public debates concerning the country’s future.[8] In Jordan, Women in Technology provides women with IT and professional development training.[9] Clearly these are just a few examples.

Non-governmental organizations often have the resources and the expertise to make real progress on the ground, while social media and technology have given women the ability to organize and create little fissures in the status quo. I imagine that fighting for women’s empowerment must feel like a Sisyphean task, but day by day the boulder climbs the hill.

Joshua Pringle is the senior editor of Worldpress.org, an online publication that covers international affairs. 

Further Reading:

Empowering Women, Developing Society: Female Education in MENA

Women Empowerment Initiatives for the Future of the MENA Region