Business Landscape Key to Accelerating Gender Parity in MENA: WEF Report

The World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2024 reveals a mixed picture of gender parity progress worldwide, with a special spotlight on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Despite global advancements, the report highlights that achieving full gender parity remains a distant goal, requiring significant and sustained efforts, particularly in economic spheres.

Globally, the gender gap has closed by 68.5 percent, inching forward by just 0.1 percentage points since last year. At this sluggish rate, it will take another 134 years, or five generations, to reach parity. The report underscores the urgent need for accelerated action, with upcoming initiatives in the business sector presenting a pivotal opportunity to boost women’s economic participation.

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, stated, "We cannot wait until 2158 for parity. The time for decisive action is now."

Economic Participation: A Key to Gender Parity

The report stresses that improvements in economic participation are crucial, as significant disparities remain in workforce representation and leadership roles. Global labour-force participation for women has recovered to 65.7 percent, up from a pandemic low of 62.3. However, women are still underrepresented in senior leadership positions, with women holding only 31.7 percent of senior roles globally.

April Kearns, Director of People & Culture at TishTash Communications, commented, "The sluggish progress can be attributed to a number of different things, one being entrenched cultural norms that still exist today. Perceptions and expectations of gender roles impact women two-fold—1. leadership and technical roles are better led by men and 2. as the mothers of children, they should be the main caregiver. These are tough to change and will take global behavioural change campaigns that are backed by education, families, and strict DEI policies in the workplace—it really will need to be on a global front to speed up any impact."

MENA Region: Progress and Challenges

The MENA region ranks eighth globally, with a gender parity score of 61.7 percent. Despite low scores in economic participation, the region has seen notable improvements in educational attainment. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE have made strides towards parity, particularly in education and some economic sectors.

The UAE stands out as a regional leader, being among the top 100 globally. These advancements signal a positive trend, though substantial gaps remain in labour-force participation and senior leadership roles.

Kearns further noted, "Economic disparities are another key element to this pay gap—women are still paid less than men, making it tougher for them to climb the ladder at the same rate and eventually reach those top salaries (when they are often being beaten to the post by male counterparts). There are a lot of companies that have done a lot to combat this, but it is the rest who are doing nothing that is holding the gender parity gap from waning."

STEM Fields and AI: Closing the Gap

In STEM fields and AI, women’s representation has doubled since 2016. Yet, they remain significantly underrepresented, with only 29 percent of entry-level STEM roles and a mere 12.2 percent of C-suite positions held by women. This indicates a need for targeted interventions to close these gaps.

Jen Blandos, CEO & Founder of Female Fusion, emphasised, "The latest WEF Global Gender Gap report shows that it will take 134 years to reach full parity, with a mere 0.1 percent increase over the previous year. This is unacceptable. There is no valid excuse for any country to justify why individuals performing the same role should be paid differently based on gender, or why there isn't equal representation in government, professions, or senior business levels."

Call to Action

Governments and businesses are urged to shift resources and mindsets to embrace gender parity as essential for sustainable growth. The WEF is mobilizing a coalition through its Global Gender Parity Sprint to 2030, aiming to reset the trendline to parity.

Blandos added, "We need more female leaders in business. Women must have equal access and opportunities to roles traditionally occupied by men. It's imperative to pay people fair salaries for their work and invest equally in women to ensure they receive the same opportunities. One effective way to tackle this inequality is through professional networks like Female Fusion. When women succeed, the economy thrives, society improves, and everyone benefits."

The Global Gender Gap Report, now in its 18th edition, remains the most comprehensive index tracking gender-based gaps in economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.