Increasing opportunities for women could boost regional economies

Increasing economic opportunities for women is critical to creating more productive economies in the region, according to a recent workshop in Dubai.

Rethinking Economic Growth towards Productive and Inclusive Arab Societies was held as part of the FIKR 12 annual conference last week, which was based on the theme ‘Job Creation: 80 Million Jobs by 2020 in the Arab World’.

“More economic opportunities for women mean a more productive economy. However, in the Mena region, women are less likely to have a job, work in fewer sectors than men and work for poorer salaries than men in the same sector,” says Emanuela Pozzan, senior gender specialist at the International Labour Organisation, Italy.

According to Pozzan, a lot of work done by women remains unpaid and there is a significant loss of productivity talents. It is estimated that up to 19 per cent of women in Arab countries are in the workforce, while in the North African region, they make up 27 per cent of the working population. At the same time, a considerable amount of work done by women is unaccounted for in the informal economy.

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Increasing opportunities for women could boost regional economies