This book investigates why the rate of female labor force participation in the Middle East and
North Africa is the lowest in the world. Using a multidisciplinary approach the book explains
that the primary reason for the low rate of female labor force participation is the strong
institutions of patriarchy in the region. Using multiple proxies for patriarchy this book
quantifies the multi-dimensional concept of patriarchy in order to measure it across sixty
developing countries over thirty years. The findings show that Middle Eastern and North African
countries have higher levels of patriarchy with regards to women's participation in public
spheres compared with the rest of the world. Although the rate of formal female labor force
participation is low women across the region contribute greatly to the financial wellbeing of
their families and communities. By defining a woman's place as in the home patriarchy has made
women's economic activities invisible to official labor statistics since it has caused many
women to work in the informal sector of the economy or work as unpaid workers thus creating an
illusion that women in the region are not economically active. While religion has often
legitimized patriarchy oil income has made it affordable for many countries in the region.
