释放阿拉伯地区妇女的经济潜力：推进金融包容性和自主权

The contribution of development indicesin closing the gender gap and advancing E/ESCWA/CL2.GPID/2026/Policy brief.2 Policy brief No.4 Unlocking women’seconomic potentialin the Arab region: Women’s labour force participation rate in the Arab regionstands at just 20percent, the lowest in the world.1Thispersistent gap reflects not only limited job opportunitiesbut also deep-rooted socio-cultural and structuralbarriers, including the disproportionate burden of unpaidcare work that continues to fall largely on women. As aresult, many women turn to entrepreneurial activities as a remains severely constrained, limiting both their economicempowerment and the region’s broader growth and Women’s access to formal financial services in the Arabregion remains among the lowest globally. Accordingto the United Nations Economic and Social Commissionfor Western Asia (ESCWA) Financial Inclusiveness and 82percent of men owning accounts.The Comoros, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabiaalso report high account ownership for both men andwomen, with gender gaps of less than 10 percentage resulting from persistent barriers to women’s financial This policy brief highlights three main barriers towomen’s financial inclusion. It showcases successfulglobal and regional practices and outlines policy options Barriers to women’s financial inclusion Countries in the Arab region experience a complex mixof legal, institutional, social and market-driven barriersthat restrict women’s access to financial services. constraints; they are often interlinked and reinforcedby broader gender inequalities in the labour market, Supply‑side barriers Demand‑side barriers •Collateral requirements exclude asset‑poor women•Sparse outreach; inconvenient service hours•Formal identification/documentation hurdles•Lack of gender sensitive products and services•Marketing not targeted to women•Women under‑prioritized by financial service providers•Lack of reliable information and communication •Low earnings constrain savings/investment•Limited financial education and digital literacy•Unequal access to technology•Gaps in mobile ownership/internet usage•Low decision‑making power and confidence•Mobility constraints and safety concerns•Weak information flows and networks Three key categories of barriers are outlined below: Barrier #1:Legal constraints and socio-cultural Across the region, legal frameworks continue to limitwomen’s access to finance. Discriminatory provisionsin personal status laws, particularly those related toproperty ownership, and the application of inheritance, many women are pressured to relinquish these rights,limiting their ability to accumulate assets or provide Socio-cultural norms shape women’s roles withinthe family and society, restricting their labour forceparticipation.Traditional norms and caregiving Index, at 84.5This strong performance reflects a seriesof significant legal reforms, particularly to the personalstatus law, which granted women equal status as headsof households. Men and women also enjoy equal rights responsibilities can discourage women from seekingemployment or engaging in entrepreneurial activities.Collectively, these legal and socio-cultural barriers In recent years, Saudi Arabia has undertaken significantlegal and policy reforms under its Vision 2030 framework toenhance women’s economic participation. The Governmentlifted some restrictions requiring a male guardian’s approvalfor women to travel abroad, obtain passports, or openbusinesses. Women are now permitted to work without The United Arab Emirates also prohibits gender-baseddiscrimination in access to credit and ensures thatwomen can sign contracts, register businesses, andopen bank accounts independently. These reforms havecontributed to narrowing gender gaps in economicparticipation and strengthening women’s financialautonomy. On the Women, Business and the Law Index, The United Arab Emirates has the best rank in the Arabregion on the World Bank Women, Business and the Law Possible policy options for Arab countries to accelerate women’s financial inclusion Kuwait has a critical opportunity to advance legaland policy reforms to strengthen women’s financialinclusion. By amending its personal status law toease mobility restrictions for women and remove explicitly prohibits gender discrimination in access tocredit, Kuwait could improve its ranking on the Women,Business and the Law Index (version 1.0) by 8points,falling from 184 to 176, with a corresponding score In 2019, theUnited ArabEmiratesscores wereonly 29points over 100. Itsscores almostdoubledto 56.3points in 2020 andalmosttripledto 82.5between 2022 and 2024 Barrier #2:Limited access to traditional financial Limited bank ownership and access to other types oftraditional financial services severely constrain women’sabilities to save, invest, and manage financial riskseffectively. A key factor is that financial institutionsoften fail to design products tailored to women’s needs.R