Can Capability-Based Education and Social Policy Help Resolve the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) Gender Paradox ? A Case Study of Tunisia

Abstract

This study aims to re-evaluate the MENA gender paradox, where women's participation in employment is low despite their higher access to education. Arguments about the inclusiveness of education suggest that economic impoverishment and social policies, such as social protection, labour market interventions, and redistribution, which become restricted by economic policies, can weaken the link between education and social mobility. The MENA region faces these issues. Tunisia, a pioneering country in women's rights since its independence, is no exception. We focus on Tunisia using the capability approach, which offers an alternative perspective by including the aspect of freedom to do or to be in order to live a life that individuals value, in the fields of development, education, and social policy, providing agency and empowerment. We examined economic factors and included their relationships with political institutions in the discussion. Through this analysis, we conclude that the situation in Tunisia should be viewed as capability deprivation rather than a paradox. © 2025 Human Development and Capability Association.