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Empowerment of Women in

Knowledge Based Society

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The global economy is becoming

increasingly dependent upon the ability to

effectively produce and use knowledge and that thecompetitiveness of a country depends on the

knowledge acquisition capacityof its humanresources.

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Status of Knowledge in the Arab RegionDisturbing signals revealed from the first AHDR in 2002:

While good progress has been made over the last decades in educationcoverage, more than half of Arab women cannot read or write. Two thirds ofilliterates in the region are women.

About 10 million children are out of school, mostly girls

Low, and deteriorating, quality of education

Only 0.6% of Arabs use the Internet & 1.2% of the population uses a PC

(The Arab region has the lowest level of access to ICT of all regions of theworld, even lower than sub-Saharan Africa)

Spending on research and development (R&D) is one seventh of the worldaverage (0.5% of GDP)

Severe mismatch between education and the labor market

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The case of Egypt Female literacy rate as percentage of males is 63.4

Female primary enrolment as % of males is 93.2

Female preparatory enrollment as % of males is 91.9

Female Secondary enrollment as % of males is 94.9

Females with Higher education (15 years +) is 23.5 %

Females in labor force as % of males is 18.5

Dropout rate for girls is 3.02 % higher than boys

Disparities however exist between Egypts different governorates with UpperEgypt ranking the lowest in female enrollment as % of males with 82 for primary

and 80 for secondary.

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Obstacles

The main impediments to knowledge are:

1. Political

2. Socio-economic

3. Cultural

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2. Socio-economic Impediments Women do not have yet an equal access to education and information.

Socialization in the Arab world is characterized as over-protective and

authoritarian child upbringing especially for girls (over-controlling

childrearing leads to limited risk-taking & innovation).

Unemployment is much higher for women than for men.

Early marriage, limitations to travel and access to Ids

Labor demand characteristics:

Characteristics of the Arab Economy

Employment for women made more difficult in some sectors due to culturalfactors (tourism, retail, etc)

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3. Cultural Impediments

Are women equal to men in their role of educating their children and whatis the weight of womens decision-making in the family?

(womens subordination & patriarchal family structure)

Cultural barriers and misinterpretation of religion with respect to

knowledge and womens role in society

Behavioral deviations discouraged or just to be different

The representation given in the media of the role of women

There are some trends which seem to discourage womens public

engagement (niqab).

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What needs to be done

The quality of the Egyptian education system needs improvement in order

to become more flexible, diversified and relevant to the economic and socialneeds of the country and to be gender sensitive.

Women are chief hidden educators especially in the Arab World where manywomen stay at home - need to promote the role of mothers in socializing

and upbringing children and in setting the tone of curiosity and criticalthinking for their children.

Need to raise awareness of the true place and role of woman in Islam, whichis in many instances misrepresented in the media and elsewhere need tosensitize religious preachers and authorities.

There should be a realization that Egyptian women have a role, indeed aresponsibility to transform the contemporary Egyptian society.

Economic policies fostering more labor intensity, so generating moreeducation and knowledge demand by women

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Transformation Tools

Illiteracy eradication, especially to target governorateswith a wide gender gap and low enrollment rates.

ICTaccess to information and knowledge

Political empowerment

Media and gender

Education reform

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