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The Gender Gap and "Decent Work" for Egyptian Youth

The "Innovators and Thinkers" series highlights scholars and experts who are producing critical and forward-thinking knowledge on youth and development issues in the Middle East.

In an interview with the Middle East Youth Initiative, Dr. Ragui Assaad discusses the labor market in Egypt, perceptions of “decent work” among young people and their interaction with the globalized economy, and the role of gender in defining employment opportunities.

Dr. Assaad has served as the Regional Director for West Asia and North Africa at the Population Council and is currently a Professor of Planning and Public Affairs at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Assaad is the co-author of “Youth Exclusion in Egypt: In Search of ‘Second Chances” (Middle East Youth Initiative Working Paper, 2007).

Read Dr. Assaad’s complete bio and listen to excerpts of the interview below: Photo courtesy of the Population Council

"Decent work:" are perceptions shifting in Egypt? (01:15)

Chasing the "best" jobs: coping with a shrinking public sector (00:31)

Egyptian women: more educated, but still not career-oriented (02:59)

Will women break into Egypt's growing private sector? (01:20)

Wife, mother, or employee? Juggling roles for working women (00:28)

The growing need for "dual income" families: a boon to women's careers? (01:08)