Priorities for Research on Gender Equality, Climate Change, and Agriculture in the MENA Region: A Policy Brief

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is
extremely vulnerable to climate change and is also the
most gender unequal region in the world. According to the
Global Gender Gap report, the gender gap is highest in the
MENA region (60.9 percent progress toward parity), and “at
the current relative pace, it would take an estimated 142.4
years to close” (World Economic Forum, 2021: 26).
Agriculture in the MENA region is becoming increasingly
feminized, with women representing more than 50 percent
of agricultural workers in some countries (Abdelali-Martini
and de Pryck 2015; Najjar et al. 2018). Reducing gender
inequality has been identified as an important response
area requiring strengthening to enable the MENA region
to adapt and build resilience toward climate change. Since
women are participating out of choice and necessity in
such large numbers in the agricultural workforce of the
MENA region, they must be enabled and empowered
to serve as active agents in climate change mitigation,
adaptation, and resilience.