ABSTRACT
For statistical and cultural reasons, the measurement of the informal sector and especially female labour force has always been a challenging task in all regions and particularly so in the Middle East. Accurate measurement of the participation of women in informal sector activities, which are highly invisible, is an even more difficult task. After a brief review of issues relating to definitions, measurement difficulties, and methods designed to tackle these issues, this chapter focuses on the profile of women in self-employment and in informal sector employment in the Middle East in general, and in the Arab countries in particular.
