Female Labor Force Participation in the Middle East and North Africa: Regional Trends and Lessons from Saudi Arabia

Johannes Koettl (), Sofia Gomez Tamayo (), Dana Alrayess and Gael Fostier de Moraes ()
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Johannes Koettl: World Bank
Sofia Gomez Tamayo: World Bank
Gael Fostier de Moraes: Inter-American Development Bank

No 18632, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: Female labor force participation (FLFP) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) remains the lowest globally, averaging just 19% in 2023 compared to a global average of 48%. Social norms, care responsibilities, restrictive legal frameworks, skills mismatches, and limited access to supportive infrastructure continue to act as barriers for women’s economic engagement. This paper examines the structural drivers behind these gaps and highlights the region’s heterogeneity in barriers, outcomes, and reform trajectories. The paper highlights Saudi Arabia as a case of rapid transformation. Between 2017 and 2023, FLFP more than doubled following legal reforms, deployment of active labor market programs, and effective communication initiatives. Key drivers of Saudi Arabia’s experience include expanded private-sector demand, sectoral diversification, and the correction of misperceived norms regarding women’s employment. The paper also identifies remaining constraints for Saudi Arabia, including childcare gaps, mobility barriers, and public-private employment preferences and proposes policy recommendations for MENA countries, including legal reforms, care-economy investments, flexible work arrangements, and norm-changing interventions.

Keywords: Female Labor Force participation; gender and labor markets; Middle East and North Africa; labor market reforms; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J08 J16 J21 J22 O53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara and nep-lma
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