Unlocking the labor market for Palestinian women

Abstract

Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) have one of the lowest female labor force participation rates in the world.the author points out that, while this would be problematic in any context, it is even more so under conditions of settler colonialism, as in the OPT. Among other reasons, women’s labor force participation is a critical development indicator that both developed and developing countries actively strategize to boost, in part because it is one of the drivers of economic growth. Moreover, in many developing countries women’s labor force participation indicates the capacity of a society to withstand economic shocks with minimal social fragmentation. Finally, the higher the women’s participation rate and employment under “decent work” conditions the greater the prevalence of gender justice within that society. In short, weak economic and social outcomes, including stagnant growth, social fragmentation and gender bias, may undermine the capacity of the colonized population to withstand, survive and resist colonialism. The author builds on her previous work by first describing the features of women’s labor market trends and then examining the factors shaping these trends 1. She concludes with policy recommendations aimed at boosting women’s participation in the labor market in the OPT while at the same time challenging Israel’s efforts to undermine the Palestinian economy.