Women In Muslim Economies

Women In The World’s Muslim Economies; Measuring The Effectiveness of Empowerment Presentation By D3 Systems For The 60 th Annual ESOMAR Congress Berlin, 16-19 September 2007

Happiness and/or Prosperity
Proposition: Does prosperity equal happiness?
Women In Muslim Majority Countries
Empowerment believed critical to advancing the region
Women perceived as universally disenfranchised and repressed
Advancing prosperity requires women to challenge social norms and possibly happiness

Finding A Neutral Benchmark
UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
Ratified by all countries in the survey, some within last 2 years
The convention states that;
women have rights equal to men to vote and run for political office
have equal access to health care, education and employment
can make decisions about their own reproductive health
can change their nationality or that of their children
should be protected from violence and human trafficking
can have access to a legal system that provides equal protection of all these rights under laws which provide for equal treatment.

Health, Income and Education
Seven Muslim nations have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world (Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen).
Control of household wealth and income generation are highly disparate across these countries.
Some Muslim countries are leaders in providing women educational opportunities, others deny it.

D3 Survey of Women In Muslim Countries (WIMC)
Designed to empower women to speak of the effects of gender rights and issues on their daily lives
Provides a comprehensive look at rights-related awareness, attitudes and behaviors of adult women in most countries of the Muslim world
Collaborative effort with D3 Systems’ clients

22 WIMC Countries Nationwide Surveys
Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Oman
Pakistan
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tajikistan
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Yemen

Happiness Differs By GDP and Degree of Freedom
Whether wealthy economies or poor, most women could be happier
Universal dissatisfaction?
Happiness is always elusive?
Policy-makers argue that empowerment through education, income and health helps women prosper
Women believe education, income and health will also make them happier
Different emphasis in different types of economies
Educational attainment influences what women want, but in different ways in each country
Suggests programming focus within each country should vary with each segment of female population

Wealthy Women Cite Non-Financial Solutions (10%+)
Saudis: health (31%), education (28%), no change (14%), money (11%)
Turkey: health (41%), education (18%), no change (18%)
Iran: education (38%), money (26%)
Kosovo: health (49%), money (28%), education (12%)

Income Leads In Poor Countries (10%+)
Egypt: money (51%), health (30%)
Iraq: money (23%), security (18%), health (17%), house (17%), education (14%)
Pakistan: money (32%), education (22%), health (22%), house (13%)
Bangladesh: money (44%), education (26%), smaller family (11%)
Afghanistan: money (34%), education (26%), health (19%), house (13%)

Control of Wealth and Property; Barriers To Income
Central to financial independence and increased earning
Leads to improved health and housing
Women restricted in some Muslim countries
Signing contracts
Exercising inheritance and land tenure
Accessing credit

Control Of Savings Highly Variable
Per capita GDP is not correlated with which spouse controls savings
Low savings rates are positively correlated with male control (Egypt and Jordan most extreme)
Implies this is a cultural rather than economically-driven practice
Policy-makers should be working across all countries to assure household savings roles for women

Shopping Anyone?
Women’s control of household spending just as important
Access to resources isn’t sufficient. Women’s role in expenditure also needs to be addressed
Not correlated with control over savings
Not correlated with GDP
Egypt (53% spouse) and Afghanistan (48% spouse) most extreme

Employment and Wage Earning
Majorities in all countries except Saudi (49%) are homemakers
“ Feminization of Poverty”
Working poor
Agricultural work
Slum dwellers
Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc.
Arab States
Educated in service subjects
Men and foreign workers fill available positions
Traditional gender roles limit employment options
Findings consistent with Johannes Bergh, “Attitudes and Modernization Processes,” IJPOR, Spring 2007
In many countries some women do not receive their paychecks; Jordan (21%), Egypt (12%), Saudi (8%)

Majorities Interested In Starting A Business
Over 55% in all but Afghanistan (32%), Iraq (11%) and Iran (18%)
Variability not correlated with GDP or unemployment, likely cultural constraints
Many possible motives
Money
Escape constraints on control of wealth and property
Leave traditional family roles
Extra income

Education
Education is the key to meaningful wage employment
Arab (58%) and South and West Asia (46%) states have lowest female literacy rates in the world
Majorities in 4 countries have 8 th grade or less education.

Pakistan, Bagladesh, Turkey and Afghanistan Have Highest Disenrollment By 5 th Grade

Child Marriage, Childbirth and Labor Versus Education
Early marriage, childbirth and workforce entry often deny women education
Early marriage is cultural practice
Early workforce entry is often a necessity (MENA 9%, South Asia 15%)

Early Childbirth and Healthcare
The CEDAW defines female adulthood as 18+
Women in many Muslim countries have children before this age (Bangladesh 26%, Saudi 16%, Iran 10%)
Some women in most countries also report being denied healthcare because of gender (Egypt 58%, Afghanistan 34%, Pakistan 29%, Iraq 19%, Jordan 14%, Saudi 11%, Bangladesh 11%, Kosovo 10%)

CEDAW and Shari’a
Many Muslim countries signed the CEDAW with “reservations”
Accommodated for perceived gaps between CEDAW and shari’a
Many Westerners emphasis inconsistency

Wide Majorities Of Women Disagree
In all countries where question was asked, large majorities of women believe shari’a and the rights guaranteed by the CEDAW can be consistent, protected and promoted
Principle of ijtihad (interpretative scholarship)
Common customs or traditional practices currently fail to protect rights
Educational attainment makes no difference
Turkey is an exception. Shari’a not accepted..
Findings suggest policy efforts should work within shari’a, rather than outside it.

Conclusions
Public policy analysts tout the benefits of empowering women to promote change through financial, education and health resources
Survey research like WIMC has a role to play in providing these Muslim women with a public voice to influence implementation
Survey data can be used to inform and shape empowerment policies from the perspective of the general population, rather than top down

Policy Implications
For most prosperity alone does not equal happiness; Empowerment issues are not limited to poor Muslim majority countries
Each country’s combination of indicators is different, calling for tailored approaches
While policy-makers have the right issues across countries, their approaches need to address each society’s social and cultural practices within and without the home to be effective

Women In Muslim Economies

by karlfeld on Nov 09, 2008

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Women In Muslim Economies — Presentation Transcript