Parity for Women in the Maghreb

This report examines the progress of women in the Maghreb region (Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia) and the gaps remaining in human capital, economic participation, and political agency. Despite girls in the Maghreb outperforming boys in education and health, this progress has not yet translated into equal economic participation. Female labor force participation remains strikingly low at 17 percent in Algeria, 20 percent in Morocco, 27 percent in Tunisia and 35 percent in Libya. Women in the Maghreb face occupational segregation and are overrepresented in low-paying service sector jobs and informal employment. Restrictive and persistent patriarchal norms and legal barriers limit women's access to credit and assets. In the political sphere, while there have been advancements through quota systems, women remain underrepresented in leadership roles, and gender-based violence - along with the belief that it is justified - continues to be common. Tunisia serves as an encouraging example with higher female business ownership and women's representation in government