The Status Progress of Women in the Middle& East North Africa & World Bank Middle East and North Africa Social and Economic Development Group The Status Progress of Women in the Middle& East North Africa & ©2007 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org E-mail: [email protected] All rights reserved 1 2 3 4 5 09 08 07 06 This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Recon- struction and Development / The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. 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Contents Acronyms & Abbreviations 3 Regional Overview in 2000–2005 5 Economic Participation 5 Access to Education 10 Access to Health Care 14 Gender and Poverty in the Middle East and North Africa 16 Women’s Entrepreneurship and Private Sector Development 20 Public Participation and Representation 21 Women’s Legal Rights 22 Part I Women’s Status by Sector 27 Education and Training 27 Health 34 Economic Participation 41 Public Participation and Representation 50 Women’s Rights 59 Part II Women’s Status by Country 68 Algeria 68 Bahrain 73 Djibouti 78 Egypt 82 Islamic Republic of Iran 85 Iraq 90 Jordan 94 Lebanon 98 Morocco 102 Saudi Arabia 106 Tunisia 113 West Bank and Gaza 118 Republic of Yemen 124 Part III Summary Gender Profiles by Country 128 Algeria 128 Bahrain 129 Djibouti 130 Egypt 131 Islamic Republic of Iran 132 Iraq 133 Jordan 134 Kuwait 135 Lebanon 136 Libya 137 Morocco 138 Oman 139 Qatar 140 Saudi Arabia 141 Syria 142 Tunisia 143 United Arab Emirates 144 West Bank and Gaza 145 Republic of Yemen 146 Over the years, the Gender group of the Middle East and North Africa Social and Economic De- velopment division has regularly compiled briefs on the status and progress of women in the re- gion for use by senior managers and staff. Based on feedback from readers inside and outside the Bank, we were encouraged to present these gen- der briefs in a compendium, making the informa- tion more accessible to a wider public. The con- tent of this compendium is drawn from existing data banks, records, statistics, and sources found in the public domain. This compendium includes gender briefs for Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Arab Republic of Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, and Republic of Yemen. The Regional Overview and Country Gender Profiles cover all countries. The data and information are as of September 2006. This compendium was prepared by the Office of the Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa Region of the World Bank, under the super- vision of Nadereh Chamlou, regional Gender Co- ordinator. The original gender briefs were drafted by Carmen Niethammer and updated by Randa Akeel, Safaa El-Kogali, Talajeh Livani, Fatou Fall, Sahar Nasr, and Bushra Jawabri. Talajeh Livani wrote the regional overview and consolidated the report, supplementing and harmonizing the data and messages. Valuable contributions were made by Krisztina Mazo. Acronyms & Abbreviations AFCARE l’Association des Femmes Cadres CAS Country Assistance Strategy CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women CGA Country Gender Assessment FGM Female Genital Mutilation GCC Gulf Cooperation Council HRW Human Rights Watch ILO International Labor Organization JNCW Jordanian National Commission for Women MDG Millennium Development Goals MENA Middle East and North Africa NCLW National Commission for Lebanese Women NCW National Council for Women NGO Non-Governmental Organization PLC Palestinian Legislative Council PPP Purchasing Power Parity PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy paper SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprise STI Sexually Transmitted Infections UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS UNDESA United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs UNDP United Nations Development Programme UN/ESCWA United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNICEF United Nations Fund for Children UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women UNRWA United Nations Relief and Work Agency WDI World Development Indicators WFP World Food Programme WHO World Health Organization WNC Women’s National Committee Middle East and North Africa Gender Overview Introduction percent in 2000 to 28 percent in 20053 (figure 1). Although progress on this indicator during 2000– This overview updates the main findings of the 05 was greater than in any other region, MENA Regional Gender Report with respect to the status continues to lag, especially when the high growth of women in the Middle East and North Africa is taken into account. (MENA).1 The regional Report on Gender and De- There are great intraregional disparities in the velopment highlighted several points. On the one extent to which women’s economic activity has hand, MENA’s achievements in health and educa- increased or decreased over the past couple of tion during the 1980s and 1990s compared favor- ably with those of other regions. On the other 3. World Bank Edstats. hand, women’s labor force participation remained low and women were underrepresented in na- tional parliaments and in other decisionmaking Figure . Female Labor Force Participation (% of total labor force)—990, bodies. 2000, and 2005 This update will examine progress during 2000– 2005 in five areas: economic participation, access 50 to education, access to health care, women’s legal rights, and public participation and representation, as of September, 2006. This overview will also pro- 40 vide information on additional work carried out in the area of gender and poverty, as well as the on- going research on women’s entrepreneurship. Percent 30 Economic Participation 28% 26% The Middle East and North Africa grew by an 23% average of 6.0 percent over 2005, up from 5.6 20 1990 2000 2005 percent over 2004, and an average growth of 3.5 percent over the late 1990s.2 Overall, women’s Year share of the total labor force increased from 26 Europe and Central Asia Latin America and Caribbean 1. MENA Development Report Gender and Development in the Middle East Asia and Pacific South Asia East and North Africa: Women in the Public Sphere, The World Bank, Sub-Saharan Africa Middle East and North Africa 2004. 2. 2006 Economic Developments and Prospects: Financial Markets in a New Age of Oil, The World Bank, 2006. Source: World Bank Central Database (September 2006). 5 Middle East and North Africa: Gender Overview years. In countries such as Algeria, Iran, Libya, Similarly, at present women’s participation Oman, Kuwait, and Tunisia, for example, the fe- in the labor market (percent of female popula- male share of the total labor force increased at tion ages 15–64) varies within MENA, as figure 2 least 3 percent in years 2000 to 2005. The oppo- shows. The lowest is in the West Bank and Gaza site occurred in Morocco and Djibouti, where the (11 percent); the highest is in Djibouti (55 per- percentage of women in the total labor force actu- cent). The second highest is in Kuwait (50 per- ally decreased by 1 percent.4 cent) when the large foreign worker population is included, and in Iran (41 percent), which does 4. World Bank Edstats. not have a significant foreign worker population. Unfortunately, there is still a greater disparity between female and male labor force participa- tion in MENA in comparison with other regions, Figure 2. Female Labor Force Participation in Country Groups within MENA, as figure 3 indicates. 2005 (% of female population ages 5–4) Because the rate of female labor force partici- 60 pation is low, the region is forgoing much of the potential return on its investment in women’s 50 education. On the basis of several factors ob- served across countries, the MENA Gender Re- 40 port stressed that if female labor force participa- tion had reached predicted levels (based on the 30 existing levels of female education, fertility, and Percent age structure), the per capita GDP growth during 20 the 1990s would have been 2.6 percent per year instead of 1.9 percent. Furthermore, women’s 10 participation in the labor force can significantly improve the level of household income (by 25 0 5 . i percent) and bring many families out of poverty. za a ia Iraq r Iran Egypt nisia emen Libya Qatar Sy Arabia Oman Jordan Tu Y Algeri U.A.E Kuwait Morocco Bahrain Lebanon Djibout As figure 4 demonstrates, investments in female nk and GaSaudi st Ba education are more fully used in East Asia and the We Pacific (EAP).