Epilogue to the article about economic development of Islamic countries (19)

The author says:

“No alternative quotations or excuses can prove otherwise.

Recent figures from the International Labor Organization, published by the World Bank, indicate that in the Middle East and North Africa, women comprise 28% of the total labor force whereas the world average is 40%.

As a group, these countries have the lowest female labor force participation rate in the world.

One of the lowest figures is Saudi Arabia with 16%.

As distance from the Arabian Peninsula increases, so does the proportion of women in the labor force.

In Pakistan the figure is 28.6 percent, whereas in Bangladesh and Indonesia the figures are close to world average.

This is a reflection of cultural values regarding women in Muslim countries, values inseparable from religious values.

It is also associated with higher birth rate in these countries.

This religiously prescribed role for women in society has profound economic consequences.”