Women, Work, and Patriarchy in the Middle East and North Africa

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Fariba Solati

   Pages 1-7

3. Explaining the Low Rate of Female Labor Force Participation in the Middle East and North Africa

   • Fariba Solati

   Pages 9-32

4. Invisible Work of the Invisible Half: Women and “Work” in the Middle East and North Africa

   • Fariba Solati

   Pages 33-64

5. Measuring Patriarchy: The Determinants of Patriarchy in the Middle East and North Africa

   • Fariba Solati

   Pages 65-102

6. Conclusion

   • Fariba Solati

   Pages 103-108

7. Back Matter

   Pages 109-118

   PDF

This book investigates why the rate of female labor force participation in the Middle East and North Africa is the lowest in the world. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the book explains that the primary reason for the low rate of female labor force participation is the strong institutions of patriarchy in the region. Using multiple proxies for patriarchy, this book quantifies the multi-dimensional concept of patriarchy in order to measure it across sixty developing countries over thirty years. The findings show that Middle Eastern and North African countries have higher levels of patriarchy with regards to women’s participation in public spheres compared with the rest of the world. Although the rate of formal female labor force participation is low, women across the region contribute greatly to the financial wellbeing of their families and communities. By defining a woman’s place as in the home, patriarchy has made women’s economic activities invisible to official labor statisticssince it has caused many women to work in the informal sector of the economy or work as unpaid workers, thus creating an illusion that women in the region are not economically active. While religion has often legitimized patriarchy, oil income has made it affordable for many countries in the region. 

• MENA
• female labor force
• patriarchy
• gender gap
• Islam
• public sphere
• informal work

“Fariba Solati’s study is illuminating and detailed in its assessment of gender differences in labour force participation in the Middle East and North Africa, and in the diversity of approaches explored to explain these differences.” (Ellen R. Judd, Distinguished Professor, University of Manitoba, Canada)

“This book addresses an enduring puzzle: how to account for the fact that despite declining fertility rates and increasing levels of educational attainment, women in MENA countries have the lowest rates of labour force participation in the world? The author meticulously examines alternative hypotheses on the role of Islam and income levels and concludes that the phenomenon of patriarchy offers the best explanatory value. This is a rare and original attempt at operationalizing   the workings of patriarchy by using both quantitative and qualitative indicators across a wide range of country cases within a longitudinal perspective.  It makes an original contribution to the field of gender and development and must be read not only by students and academics but by development practitioners in the public and NGO sectors.” (Deniz Kandiyoti, Emeritus Professor of Development Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, UK)

“Fariba Solati’s Women, Work, and Patriarchy in the Middle East and North Africa is a fascinating study of women’s participation in formal and informal work in the Middle East and North Africa. In this concise and accessible study, she argues that patriarchal relations, rather than Islam or oil, have impeded women’s integration into the work force. Her innovative quantitative analyses suggest important new approaches for NGOs, governments, and international organizations.” (Nancy Gallagher, Professor Emerita, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA)

• Department of Economics, St. Thomas University, Fredericton, Canada

  Fariba Solati

Fariba Solati is Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at St. Thomas University, Canada.

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