Improving female labor force participation in MENA
Date
2020-11-02
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
Abstract
The economic gender gap in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains one of the largest in the world. Female labor force participation in MENA is the lowest globally, estimated at 20 percent (2019). The article presents arguments related to women’s participation in the job market, including men’s perceptions, along with practical realities of child care, commuting, low salaries, and lack of access to information. Emerging evidence from randomized evaluations in Egypt suggests that a range of programs to support women finding and getting to the work site, and interventions to update men’s perceptions, can increase women’s labor force participation.
Description
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Media Article
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Keywords
WOMEN’S WORK, WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, ACCESS TO INFORMATION, GENDER EQUITY, PERCEPTION, LABOUR MARKET, MENA, EGYPT, MIDDLE EAST