ABSTRACT
For decades the MENA region has had the lowest female labour market participation rates in the world at just 21 per cent, compared to a world average of 49 per cent (World Bank data, 2017). Contrary to worldwide trends that illustrate a strong correlation between women’s educational attainment and labour market participation, this rise in education in Egypt and the entire MENA region has failed to coincide with an increase in women’s employment. Egyptian women in particular have made impressive advances in educational attainment, especially at the tertiary level. Yet Egyptian women with university degrees have low employment rates at just 32.7 per cent and exceptionally high out of labour rates at 47.8 per cent (CAPMAS, 2018a), indicating that almost half of university graduates are neither engaged in the labour market nor seeking work. This chapter aims to provide an overview for women’s situation in Egypt, while drawing comparisons to the MENA region. Using existing data and literature sources, the cultural significance of marriage in Egypt and the region is highlighted, including growing marriage and divorce rates and decreasing fertility. By examining the evolution of the Egyptian labour market and class structure since the 1960s, the chapter shows how economic policy changes that witnessed a shift away from public employment towards the private sector have had a negative impact on women’s employment.
