打破障碍：理解和解决社会规范对中东和北非妇女工作的制约

Table of ContentsMain Take-Aways........................................................................................................................................................401Introduction........................................................................................................................................................602What are Social Norms and How Do We Measure Them?..........................903Norms, Beliefs, and Gatekeeping: What Drives.....................................................13and Limits Women’s Work in MENA04Recommendations and Conclusion...................................................................................23References.....................................................................................................................................................................27Annex...................................................................................................................................................................................29 © 2025 The World Bank Group1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet:www.worldbank.orgThis work is a product of the staff of The World Bank Group. “The World Bank Group” refers to the legally separate organizations ofthe International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the InternationalFinance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).While believed reliable, the World Bank Group does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the content includedin this work, or for the conclusions or judgments described herein, and accepts no responsibility or liability for any omissions orerrors (including, without limitation, typographical errors and technical errors) in the content whatsoever or for reliance thereon. Theboundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of theWorld Bank Group concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The findings,interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the WorldBank Group or the governments they represent.Nothing herein shall constitute, imply or be considered to be a limitation upon or waiver of the privileges and immunities of any of TheWorld Bank Group organizations, all of which are specifically reserved.Rights and PermissionsThe material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank Group encourages dissemination of its knowledge, thiswork may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given. All querieson rights and licenses should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC20433, USA; e-mail: pubrights@worldbank.org.Publication design: Dania KibbiAttribution — Please cite the work as follows: “World Bank. 2025. Breaking Barriers: Understanding and Addressing Social NormConstraints to Women’s Work in MENA. Washington D.C.: World Bank.”AcknowledgementsThis publication was prepared by a team composed of Tasmia Rahman, Dana Ghazi Nabeeh Qarout, and Jonna Maria Lundvall. Thepublication benefited from peer reviewers Ana Maria Munoz Boudet, Anna Fruttero, and Nour Al Moghrabi. The work was conductedunder the general guidance of Zeina Afif from Mind, Behavior, and Development Unit (eMBeD) at Development Impact and thePoverty and Equity Global Practice Manager Salman Zaidi.This work served as a background note to inform the MENARegional Gender Action Plan2025-2030 that provides a roadmap forthe WBG to contribute to meaningful, measurable change for women’s agency, economic activity and gender equality in the region.The Action Plan identifies expanding women’s economic activity as a key objective for the WBG to focus on for the next five years,with five priority areas as building blocks towards this: employment; entrepreneurship & assets; inclusive service delivery; care; and,gender-based violence. Addressing the restrictive regulatory framework and social norms environment are considered cross-cuttingenablers that are important across priority areas. 1Social norms matter for female labor force participation (FLFP) in the Middle East and NorthAfrica (MENA). Personal beliefs, community actions, and spousal expectations significantly predictwomen’s work.2Support for women’s work is high across MENA countries, but there are context-dependent factorsthat influence personal and social acceptability; such as working hours, workplace safety, financialcircumstances, and household responsibilities.3People tend to underestimate how much their community supports women’s work. However, whenit comes to mothers of young children, there is more agreement—most people accurately perceivethat support fo