Gender and Development in the Middle East and North Africa

Gender inequality - the differential access to opportunity and security for women and girls - has become an important and visible issue for the economies of the Middle East and North Africa. This title seeks to advance the gender equality discussion in the region by framing the issues in terms of economic necessity. It analyzes the potential of women's greater economic contribution to the region's new development model, further discussed in three parallel reports on trade, employment, and governance. The report also identifies key economic and sociopolitical impediments to women's increased labor force participation and empowerment, and suggests a way forward in developing an agenda for change.