How does women’s economic empowerment change the features of development in the Arab region?
How does women’s economic empowerment change the features of development in the Arab region?
The issue of women’s economic empowerment in recent years has come to the forefront of the sustainable development scene. This empowerment is an investment in creative energy when the tools are made available to it, and priorities are rearranged in a more equitable and sustainable manner. Therefore, the peoples of the world realize – with the expansion of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – that there is no way to achieve this except by involving women in every field of life.
Based on this, talk about the economic empowerment of women in the Arab region is inseparable from the future of sustainable development in its various dimensions, and it is a future that constitutes a vital backbone for redrawing the relationship between humans, resources and the market in a time when challenges are intertwined.
With this standpoint,Earth Guards seeks to address the issue of women’s economic empowerment in the areas of the workforce, entrepreneurship and industry; To highlight how women can participate in shaping a just and sustainable economy; So continue reading this article, and discover the important role of Arab women.
Women are an unemployed workforce
Regarding women’s participation in the Arab workforce, reports by UN Women andThe World Bank show that Arab women represent – so far – less than 20% of the workforce in most countries of the Arab region, despite their academic excellence in the stages of university education. This percentage is one of the lowest in the world. Which reveals a sharp gap between the competence and qualifications that women possess, and the actual opportunities available to them in the labor market.
Women’s Entrepreneurship Achievements
Despite the weak representation of women in the total Arab workforce, the field of women’s entrepreneurship in the countries of the Arab region has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, especially in the sectors of technology, creative industries, food, and services.
To envision the limits of women’s role and what they can offer in order to support economies through women’s entrepreneurship, a study issued by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in 2023 showed that enhancing women’s participation in productive sectors may contribute to raisingthe Arab GDPby a rate ranging between 10 and 30% within one decade, if legal restrictions are removed. And the social barriers that restrict women’s involvement in active economic life.
According to a recent article published on the website “WorldEconomicForum”, some countries in the Arab region are witnessing a silent revolution led by female entrepreneurs who established innovative projects, which are pioneering projects that bring about changes in the system of electronic commerce, technology and services, in a way that achieves Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This vision is supported by the data of the “Women at Work 2024” report issued by the International Labor Organization, which indicated that projects led by women achieve high growth rates compared to their counterparts, despite financing obstacles. This performance confirms women’s ability to manage resources with high efficiency and innovate economic solutions within environments suffering from restrictions and obstacles. Thus enhancing the feasibility of women’s economic empowerment, as an engine of sustainable development in the Arab world.
Industry and Women Empowerment
On the third hand, we find that the industry is more closely linked to male employment, but the development of technology and the shift to the digital economy have made the integration of women in industrial sectors an inevitable necessity, especially in areas such as sustainable manufacturing, information technology, food industries, as well as medical industries.
In this context, ESCWA, through its cooperation with regional institutions – such asThe Arab Union for Specialized Women – promotes programs aimed at linking women’s economic empowerment to industrial production, by providing financing, training, and market access tools, within the framework of a comprehensive strategy that includes women’s industrial entrepreneurship.
Women’s economic empowerment and future opportunities
In these three previous aspects – industry, entrepreneurship, and the workforce – we find that women stand at a crossroads between current challenges and untapped potential, and they also stand on the cusp of a critical stage that could reshape the future of economies in the region. Talking about women’s economic empowerment is a strategic choice to achieve comprehensive growth. In this context, international reports unanimously agree that transforming women’s energy into an effective productive force requires a package of bold measures, through which new horizons can be opened towards a more just and efficient economy.
To achieve this leap, these international reports recommend several measures: Including:
- Fiscal policy reform; In order to enable women to obtain finance without restrictions.
- Encouraging vocational and technical education for women, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and industrial technology.
- Supporting the female entrepreneurship environment by highlighting leading female role models through mentoring networks and exchanging experiences.
- Enact fair laws that eliminate gender discrimination and give women equal opportunities in the labor market.
In conclusion, theThe Earth Guards Foundation believes that the economic empowerment of women is no longer only a development luxury or a human rights demand, but rather has become a strategic necessity for restructuring Arab economies on more just, efficient and sustainable foundations. When the barriers that restrict women’s energy are broken, a wide door opens for Arab societies to benefit from half of their idle powers, creating a fundamental shift in how human capital is employed and directing innovation towards achieving more comprehensive development.
Therefore, the responsibility remains collective: governments have the task of dismantling legal and financial restrictions, education and training institutions must empower women cognitively and professionally, and civil society must reshape collective awareness of the importance of women’s economic role, not as a threat to constants, but rather as renewal and development.
