Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals ...

Middle East / North Africa and the Millennium Development Goals
MDG2 as a whole. Numerous children in the MENA countries have yet to
attend primary school. Thus far, only South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
have made less progress on MDG2. In particular, Iran and the UAE, where
net enrolment ratios in primary education have actually declined, will fail
to reach MDG2, as will, in all likelihood, Sudan, Oman, Saudi Arabia,
Yemen, and Kuwait. On the other hand, the Palestinian Territories, Tunisia,
Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt are quite likely to reach the goal, assuming
that present trends continue in these countries. The same is also
conceivable for Morocco, Bahrain, and Syria.
School education in the region is furthermore of poor quality and does little
to prepare students for their later working life.
Gender equality (MDG3)
The MENA countries have made more progress in achieving gender equality
in education. Nearly all of these countries have succeeded in substantially
increasing school enrolment rates for girls at all levels of their educational
systems, and enrolment rates for girls are now approaching the figures
for boys. This means that the MENA region as a whole is very likely
to reach MDG3. The only exceptions are Yemen and Iraq.
All the same, however, even in 2015 the MENA countries will still be far
removed from any comprehensive gender equality. While it is true that
improved educational opportunities for girls are translating out into declining
illiteracy rates among women, the latter’s chances to find gainful employment
have nevertheless shown a downward trend. The percentage of
women in the nonagricultural working population has declined in most
countries in the region; only in Algeria, Oman, and Bahrain has the figure
risen. Moreover, the average income of working women in the MENA
countries – with the exception of the Palestinian Territories – is still only a
fraction of what men earn.
Looking at their political and legal situation too, we find that women continue
to be disadvantaged compared with men. In the Gulf states (excepting
Bahrain) women still do not have the right to vote, and in the ministries
and parliaments of all other MENA countries women are conspicuously
underrepresented. Almost everywhere in the region, even civil law
(above all laws covering civil status, inheritance, and citizenship) confers
German Development Institute 7