The papers in this issue of al-Raida address the challenges and opportunities for Arab women’s labor market participation in the greater context of globalization and social transformations and examine the issue from a number of complementary vantage points and policy implications.

There is enormous variation in the patterns of labor allocation, especially among women, across countries and over time, with significant consequences for the performance of the economy. Among many other results, the analysis suggests that effective government is one of the most important factors associated with female labor force participation (LFP) and employment. Some labor protection policies tend to be more beneficial for women’s labor market activity than for men’s. Such policies may be helping better employment matches to form.

The Gender Entrepreneurship Markets (GEM) Country Brief series is intended to provide an overview on the status of women entrepreneurship in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The focus of IFC’S PEP MENA GEM program is to expand women’s participation in the private sector by providing support to growth-oriented small and medium enterprises and expanding women’s employment opportunities.

Women organizations in Lebanon have a long history of struggle towards gender equality. Perceptions concerning the achievements and status of women in Lebanese society suggests relative progress on issues related to rights and gender equality. This paper proposes an analysis of the status of women in Lebanon based on various indicators highlighting women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes and examining gender equality from the legal perspective and in terms of women’s economic status. It also looks into women’s achievements in terms of gender equality, reviewing some strategies adopted to enhance women’s status in Lebanon and highlighting their limits in the particular Lebanese socio-political context.

Women in Lebanon face discrimination at many levels, from social conservatism to inadequate public policies. The National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW) was formed in 1998 to promote women’s rights, enhance gender mainstreaming, and also to oversee the implementation of the goals of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. In July 2006, a newly formed Cabinet vowed in its Ministerial Statement to put in action all the commitments that Lebanon has made on women's issues in connection with the recommendations of the Beijing Conference in 1995 (Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action). The Gender Profile of Lebanon describes main gender topics, like the above, within the Lebanese context, as well as addressing such milestones in relation to legal, political, economical, educational, health, infrastructure terms and subjects.