Female participation in the labour force across the MENA region

This chapter discusses female participation in the public sector and the labour force in general, as core drivers of the broader competitiveness and economic development in the MENA region. The chapter is mainly based on the findings of the MENA-OECD Survey on National Gender Frameworks, Gender Public Policies and Leadership and CAWTAR legal research. The chapter shows that the public sector is the most prominent employer of women in the MENA region, similar to many OECD countries. It highlights the occupational and employment patterns of women, including their prevalence in socially oriented areas of employment and limited access to leadership posts. The chapter identifies barriers to workforce participation, including legal, institutional, economic and social ones, as well as barriers linked to political instability. To address these barriers, countries are putting in place a range of policy measures, yet adherence to international labour standards remains uneven. The chapter includes a set of good practices and provides policy recommendations to strengthen the current employment practices, including improving institutional frameworks to support gender equality, addressing gender-based discrimination in the public sector and reducing the pay gap.