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The Economics of Women and Work in the Middle East and North Africa Edited by Mine Cinar Elsevier Science B. V. Amsterdam 2001 ISBN: 0-7623-0714-5
Research in Middle East Economics,
Volume 4
Review DOI 10.1108/13620430310465543
This book is an edited collection of papers which provide a multifaceted analysis on the economics of female labour dynamics for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In her introductory essay, the editor sets out at great length why she feels a special volume dedicated to the economics of women and work in MENA. In her words, "MENA region countries need to rise to meet the global challenges and changes in the years to come. A critical source of inefficiency in the region is the status of women, as evidenced by large gender gaps in literacy, education, legal rights and job opportunities" (p. 1). Thus, the editor identifies the greater need to study the subject matter for the MENA region - at both micro and macro levels. She suggests that, at the micro-level, endogenous labour decision and welfare and at the macro-- level, market supply-demand restrictions, labour segmentation, legal environments and wage gaps should be examined in depth. The focus of this book, therefore, is important and timely.
The book consists of an introductory essay and 15 papers that cover some of the topics mentioned above. In searching for alternative approaches, the editor includes the studies of both economists and other scholars in sociology, industrial relations and women's studies in this volume. Due to the diversity of languages, level of economic development, religions, cultures and institutions of the countries in the region, she argues that there is not a single, unified approach to studying women and work in the MENA region and she emphasises at the outset that her primary intent is to provide readers from all branches of social sciences with a stimulating sample of the diverse approaches to women and work in the MENA.
Acknowledging that MENA itself is not a monolithic body and women and work issues have complex dimensions, this volume starts with a regional overview that is made up of five articles, all of which rely on international statistics. The first paper, by Nemat Shafik, analyses the gender gap in the region in...