ABSTRACT
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region has achieved some of the highest human development in the world with regard to women’s access to education and reduced fertility and maternal mortality. However, gender equality in the public sphere remains far down the road. This chapter provides a cross-country analysis of this paradox in the 18 Arab countries in the MENA region and discusses challenges to achieving gender equality. A particular focus is on how these challenges to gender equality differ across the region.
