Women & Economy (Fact Sheet)

The right to work is a fundamental human right enshrined in international conventions and treaties, as well as in local Palestinian laws. Women’s participation in the labour market is important for society – in addition to its role in empowering women and expanding their social and economic choices, women’s participation helps achieve satisfactory economic growth rates, reduce poverty and achieve the general goals of development. Gender-equal access to production inputs would enhance productivity and efficiency in the Palestinian economy, leading to better development outcomes.

There are various factors that may influence the level of women’s participation in employment. These include low demand for women’s labour due to the distorted structure of the Palestinian economy, which tends to concentrate women’s involvement in the informal sector. Also a factor is women’s limited access to and use of assets and resources (such as credit). Finally, an existing mismatch between education outputs and labour market needs, and demographic changes in Palestinian families associated with poor provision of supportive services for working women, both play a role.