Title page
Contents
Abstract 4
Résumé 5
Foreword 6
Acknowledgements 7
Abbreviations and acronyms 11
Executive summary 12
1. COVID-19 and the state of gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa 14
Women's economic inclusion is a key challenge for gender equality in the MENA 15
Crises can exacerbate women's vulnerabilities, especially when response measures are gender-blind 18
2. Discriminatory social institutions in MENA countries severely limit women's rights and opportunities 23
The MENA region exhibits very high levels of discrimination in social institutions 24
Restrictive social norms and stereotypes are at the heart of gender inequality outcomes 28
Despite progress, legal frameworks remain discriminatory against women 34
3. Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's economic vulnerabilities 44
Lockdowns and confinement measures amplified women's unpaid care and domestic responsibilities 44
Women's labour force participation did not significantly change due to pre-existing inequalities between women and men 45
The COVID-19 pandemic intensified violence against women 46
The consequences of COVID-19 affected both boys' and girls' education, potentially hindering their ability to access future opportunities 47
Restricted inheritance rights exposed wives and daughters of deceased male family members to the risks of assets' loss 48
4. Conclusion and policy recommendations 50
Revise existing legal provisions, enact new legislation supporting gender equality, and implement gender-responsive policies 51
Promote gender-equitable social norms 52
Strengthen data collection and monitoring 53
References 54
Annex A. SIGI Country Profiles for the Middle East and North Africa 64
Annex B. Results of the SIGI for the MENA 65
Annex C. Gender-sensitive COVID-19 measures in the MENA 67
Annex D. Legal and policy reforms in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia between 2019 and 2023 73
Annex E. Methodology of the SIGI 79
Table 1. Employees of the education, health and social sectors are primarily women in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia 17
Table 2. COVID-19 cases and deaths in the MENA region 19
Table 3. Discrimination in social institutions in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia is assessed as high or very high 28
Table 4. Many MENA countries hold reservations on Article 16 of the CEDAW 37
Figure 1. Challenges persist and gender equality remains a distant goal in the MENA 15
Figure 2. Women and men in the MENA region are concentrated in different economic sectors 16
Figure 3. About one fourth of COVID-19 policy measures implemented in MENA countries were gender-sensitive 21
Figure 4. The inclusion of a gender lens in COVID-19 policy measures varied greatly across policy areas 22
Figure 5. Levels of discrimination in social institutions are high in the MENA region 25
Figure 6. Discrimination in social institutions are high and very high in the MENA countries 26
Figure 7. Men are perceived as holding a dominant position in the economic sphere 29
Figure 8. Women carry the bulk of unpaid care and domestic work across MENA countries 30
Figure 9. Attitudes adhere to the social norm that confine women to care and reproductive roles 32
Figure 10. Violence against women remains a pervasive issue in the MENA 34
Figure 11. MENA laws mandate paid maternity leave, but duration varies, and paternity leave is almost non-existent 42
Figure 12. The consequences of COVID-19 affected women's labour force participation in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, but less than for men 46
Boxes
Box 1. What is the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI)? 23
Box 2. The link between unpaid care and domestic work and women's economic participation 31
Annex Tables
Table A B.1. SIGI 2023 results for the Middle East and North Africa 65
Table A B.2. Number of SIGI variables missing in MENA countries without a SIGI score 66
Table A C.1. Gender-sensitive COVID-19 measures in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia 67
Table A D.1. Legal and policy reforms since 2019 73
Annex Figures
Figure A E.1. Conceptual framework of the SIGI 80