Towards social transformation in the Arab countries: the role of education and gender

In MENA the youth bulge and the rise in female labor force participation have shaped the role of these two groups in the economy and society as well their welfare. Both groups have benefited from their increasing education attainment but have still to get an equitable share compared to adults and men. The chapter examines whether the reasons for their limited economic and social participation are, first, due to poor quality education relative to the demands of the labor market and, in turn, whether the labor market is creating jobs that are not commensurable with the rising aspirations of these two groups; second, whether they are held behind due to legal and institutional constraints; and, third, whether policies targeting them are empirically founded, well implemented and adequately evaluated. The chapter includes a list of policy options that can be realistically considered for improving the status and contributions of the youth and women to the economy and society, given the developmental stage of Arab countries and their governments’ capacity and implementation constraints. The chapter concludes by offering likely scenarios for how the youth and women can affect and be affected by economic and social developments in the future.