Female education in the Middle East – successes, challenges and the future
by Sue Mainey
The education of women in the Middle East is, by any standard, a sensitive and complex issue. Part of the complexity of the issue is demonstrated in the vast disparity in standards and outcomes in female learning across regions, countries, and even between neighbouring communities. What is true for Yemen or Syria might be very different for the UAE or Bahrain. In some parts of the Middle East women and girls are powering ahead in the education stakes – surpassing their male counterparts when it comes to school performance and higher education attainment. In other areas basic educational indicators for girls are painfully low, with severe consequences for her chances of independence, health and longevity. One significant commonality that we do see across the region at large, regardless of female educational performance, is the enduring underrepresentation of women in the workforce. So, even where education systems are working for females, workforce participation remains a problem. How do we address these issues? First, an understanding of the dynamics and complexities helps…
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