Across the Maghreb — Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia — women have made notable gains in education and health, yet these advances have not translated into equal economic and social outcomes. Female labor force participation remains strikingly low, with women concentrated in low paying and informal jobs and facing persistent barriers to access credit, assets, and quality employment. Deep rooted social norms and legal constraints continue to limit opportunities, while women remain underrepresented in decision making and leadership despite progress through political quotas.
Recognizing that addressing these structural and social gaps is essential to unlocking women’s full potential and advancing inclusive growth across the region, the WB-IFC Maghreb Facility for Women’s Economic and Social Inclusion (MFW) is a catalytic platform that supports country-level efforts to expand women’s access to economic opportunities. The Facility directly supports the World Bank Group’s focus on jobs for inclusive growth by strengthening the data and evidence base on female labor force participation and translating that knowledge into policy-relevant recommendations. It also supports the design and implementation of reforms and programs that address binding constraints to women’s economic inclusion in Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
