Equality and non-discrimination

Employment outcomes in the Arab States

Women in the Arab region continue to have the poorest labour market outcomes in the world, whether in comparison with men or in comparison with women in other regions. According to global estimates, in 2009 the employment-to-population ratio in the Middle East was 20.5 per cent for women and 67.7 per cent for men, while in North Africa it was 23.4 per cent for women and 69.7 per cent for men. The world average was 49.2 per cent for women and 73.1 per cent for men. The limited quantity and quality of employment opportunities available in the region affects both women and men, particularly youth. But the low participation of women is also related to the specific obstacles they face in access to employment. In 2009 the unemployment rate in the Middle East was 17.3 per cent for women and 8.2 per cent for men, while in North Africa it was 15.3 per cent for women and 7.8 per cent for men. The world average was 6.5 per cent for women and 6.2 per cent for men.

The improvements registered in recent years in the labour market situation of women and men in the region may be slowed down or even reversed by the global economic crisis. The sustainability of increased employment in the region was uncertain even earlier. While deindustrialization took place in other parts of the world, the region was the only one witnessing an increase in women’s agricultural employment, mainly as vulnerable workers. It is important to note that the availability, quality, and regularity of labour statistics is uneven across the region, and often remains insufficient or inadequate in capturing the real extent of women’s employment, particularly in the informal economy, due to gender biases in the methodology.

The analysis of existing national statistics suggests that in contrast with other developing regions, only a small share of women’s employment outside agriculture is informal, as the public sector employment remains the main purveyor of employment for women, given its more favourable terms and conditions for women in comparison with the private sector, which are valuable in themselves and make the jobs more socially acceptable. Women in informal employment in the region are more likely to be contributing family workers than own-account workers, in contrast with other regions. Regional comparisons should not mask the fact that economic and social conditions vary widely across Arab countries, yet there is very little variance in women’s economic activity rates within the region despite the wide differences between high-income oil-producing countries where the large majority of workers are migrants, countries enduring long term conflict, those promoting women in export industries, and those ridden with poverty.

The insufficient employment generation and the poor quality of created jobs, along with the deficiencies in the national frameworks for gender equality contribute to women’s limited participation in the world of work. Women have limited participation in paid employment, in the ownership of enterprises, and in government, workers’ and employers’ organizations. Where they participate, they are often in lower positions. The promotion of women’s entrepreneurship development and women’s cooperatives are areas that can contribute to opening up spaces for women to earn an independent income in the absence of adequate paid employment opportunities. While in some countries women with university education have higher unemployment rates, technical and vocational education and training, where women remain underrepresented, provides interesting opportunities if there is a move towards life skills and technical skills for non-traditional occupations for women that are market-relevant.

Gender Equality and International Labour Standards

The ratification and application of ILO key gender equality conventions remains of crucial importance to improve the prospects of women in the region. Even where Conventions 100 and 111 are ratified, the legislative frameworks are not in line with them. Convention 156 has only been ratified by Yemen, while Convention 183 has not been ratified in the region. With respect to maternity protection, moving towards social security-funded maternity benefits, as is the case in some countries in North Africa, will increase women’s employment in the private sector.

With respect to family responsibilities, households have responded to the lack of adequate social care services by recruiting domestic workers, overwhelmingly women migrants, whereas those that cannot afford it typically rely on women of the family, as gender roles have changed little in that regard. Some national counterparts, particularly in the Gulf, have also expressed interest in promoting home work for women which also necessitates the promotion of rights in this work in the region in line with Convention 177.

The principle of equal pay for work of equal value remains often misunderstood and not applied and provisions for non-discrimination are typically insufficient or not appropriately enforced. Women migrant domestic workers typically bear the brunt of multiple discrimination, thus the standard-setting process on decent work for domestic workers is of particular relevance.