GENDER DEMOGRAPHICS
On top is a playful interactive that depicts the percentage of women above the age of 15 who are in the labor force (work force) specifically in regards to the MENA region. The participation of women in the workforce is clearly rising. As a result, the demographic is shifting to accommodate more women as they gain more representation and status in the job market. However, the number is still below 20% - significantly lower than the Men, but in the interactive below, it is clear that the male demographic is on a slow and steady decline at the same time that the women’s demographic is rising. While this has a multitude of factors, the main factor is most probably the fact that with more women accommodating more jobs, and an influx of expats there are less jobs for some men in the MENA region to do. On top of that, as women begin to work, men now have the option to opt out of earning an income if the wife is doing so. Changing cultures bring changing demographics.
"In the next 20 years about 300 million young workers in MENA will join the labor force"
In this quote, the World Bank states that within the next two decades there is an estimated number of 300 million “young workers” within the MENA region who are projected to join the “labor force” (work force). Because the countries within the MENA region aren’t as populous as their Western counterparts, this number is indicative of a vast demographic change in which the working population has a greater percentage of younger people. This could be due to the culture change in regards to achieving higher education, the freedom that women are now able to use to gain employment and even other initiatives such as Omanization (which is explained on the right).
OMANIZATION
In 1988, the Sultanate of Oman enacted a law by which there was a mandated percentage of Omani citizens required in different areas of the job market. This law was created to reduce the number of expatriate workers and increase the employment of the Sultanate’s own citizens. As a result, the demographic within the job market has shifted dramatically and the percentage of Omani nationals employed within the country is on a rise while the percentage of expats and other GCC citizens is on a steady decline.