According to the World Bank, women in the Middle East and North Africa are the key to transforming the region's economies, but they are being held back from the labor market by social norms and laws that favor males. While women make up half of the population of the Middle East and North Africa, they account for only 32 percent of the labor force. It is estimated that household earnings in the region could rise as much as 25 percent if women's participation in the labor force increased.
See "World Bank: Women key to lifting economy", Chicago Tribune, September 17, 2003