Arab World must give women bigger role

New regimes in the Arab World must give women bigger political and economic participation following the recent surge in their role in domestic social movements, according to a United Nations group.

Decades of poverty, joblessness and inequity have triggered the unrest which has already led to the overthrow of some regimes in the Arab region, including Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said in a new study.

With the exception of Gulf oil producers, the social situation in the region aggravated following a sharp rise in global food prices and global economic problems, said ESCWA, which groups most Arab nations, Iran and Turkey.

“The calls for dignity, freedom and social equity have demonstrated that the policy of economic exclusion is no longer tenable…although the movements and their underlying causes are complex and the demands of the people differ from country to country, there are similarities. Issues related to unemployment, poverty and inequality have been highlighted in most countries,” it said.

The report noted that social movements in the ESCWA region carried an internal political agenda and argued that the first change should be political to catalyse socio-economic improvements.

It said the participation of women in social movements was remarkable, particularly in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Yemen, adding that in recognition of the crucial role of women in social movements, the Noble Peace Prize was awarded to the Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman.

“The central role of women in the revolutions must be reflected in the aftermath of the revolutions. The region must take this opportunity to integrate women’s perspectives into political positions and concrete actions.”

The report considered high unemployment, particularly among the Arab youth, as one of the most critical social development challenges in the ESCWA region.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), unemployment rates in the Middle East are among the highest in the world, and the average unemployment rate is estimated to have increased from 9.9 per cent in 2010 to 10.2 per cent in 2011, with male unemployment estimated at 8.3 per cent and female unemployment at 18.7 per cent.

ILO estimated that youth unemployment increased from 25.4 per cent in 2010 to 26.2 per cent in 2011. Vulnerable employment in the region has declined slightly, falling gradually from 32.4 per cent in 2005 to 29.5 per cent in 2011.

“More than 40 per cent of women work in vulnerable employment situations, compared to 27 per cent of men. An additional challenge is the large informal sector in the ESCWA region which accounts for around one third of GDP in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Workers in the informal sector are excluded from most forms of social protection,” it said.

Turning to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the report said labour markets in member states remain reliant on expatriate labour.

Unemployment rates in the GCC are often not comparable to other countries in the region because the large foreign labour force skews the statistics, it said.

Its figures showed unemployment among nationals is probably much higher than what aggregate statistics show, adding that Job creation for nationals is a key issue to address the rapidly growing youth population in GCC countries.

“Although GCC governments have created additional public sector jobs, unemployment rates for youth have been increasing. Moreover, the strategy is not viable in the long term,” ESCWA said.

“In addition, GCC countries have adopted so-called ‘nationalization’ policies aiming to replace expatriate labourers with nationals. However, economic diversification must be the core strategy to provide more jobs for national youth.”

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