Moving the Needle on Female Labor Force Participation : What can Maghreb Countries Learn from International Experience?

Overview & Synopsis

Female labor force participation remains persistently low across the Maghreb, despite substantial gains in women’s education and human capital. This knowledge brief examines the structural factors underlying the region’s participation gap and draws lessons from Bangladesh, India, and Saudi Arabia, where women’s economic participation has evolved through different pathways. The analysis highlights the role of private sector job creation in expanding women’s access to formal employment; large-scale rural self-employment programs combined with financial and digital inclusion; and coordinated, policy-driven reform packages addressing constraints such as mobility and care. While these experiences do not offer ready-made solutions for the Maghreb, they illustrate how complementary interventions can expand women’s access to economic opportunities and support more sustained employment gains. The brief distills cross-cutting lessons to inform the design of policies and interventions aimed at advancing women’s economic participation across the region.