Comparative Study of the Women's Status in the Islamic Countries of the Middle East and North Africa

Women's status has experienced significant progress in most parts of the world in recent decades. However, the gender gap still exists in many countries. This study investigates the status of women in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from a comparative perspective. It uses such international indices as Gender Development Index, Gender Inequality Index, and Gender Gap Index. The methodology of the study is a secondary analysis using descriptive exploratory analysis and cluster analysis technics on international data.
Generally speaking, the results of this analysis highlight two key patterns. First, while all the MENA countries are considered within one single category, they tend to hold a relatively lower level of gender outcomes and represent more visible gender gap in global comparison. Second, more detailed analysis emphasizes the substantial heterogeneity of the MENA women, suggesting that there is a significantly wide range of socio-economic patterns associated with women’s status by individual country in the region. This diversity needs to be carefully considered in order to provide an appropriate explanation on patterns and determinants associated with the MENA women’s status.