ABSTRACT
After the political and social actions taken place through the Arab Spring in late 2010, North African countries have witnessed major revisions of their constitutions, which have heavily supported gender equality and women’s empowerment in all activities and sectors. Along the same line, many countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and particularly the fifth goal, denoted SDG #5, that aims to “ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities”. Within this framework, this chapter addresses the situation of women on corporate boards based on a comparative analysis of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. It investigates the women directors’ profile of the 440 listed companies in the Egyptian, Casablanca and Tunisian stock exchanges, covering 285, 82 and 73 companies, respectively in 2018. The chapter provides quantitative and qualitative information on these directors to draw a comprehensive picture. The findings document gender inequality on the corporate boards in these countries. The chapter highlights the relevant implications for politicians, practitioners and advocates of gender parity. It concludes with lessons and recommendations to promote change and inspire gender equality in the boardroom.
