| Despite the fact that women's participation in the workforce has grown steadily worldwide, women continue to face barriers to economic empowerment and entrepreneurship. These obstacles include discrimination in education, training, hiring, access to credit, the right to own and inherit property, lower levels of pay, promotion for equal work and greater domestic responsibilities for women. |
 Woman entrepreneur in Palestine |
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However, and despite the difficulties that Arab women face when entering the labour market, their involvement in economic activity is increasing due to a quantitative increase in education, equal job opportunities for both men and women and the development of common awareness on the need for women's participation in ensuring the increased economic demands of the family. The aim of UNIFEM's Economic Security Program is to strengthen women's economic capacity as entrepreneurs and producers and to emphasize the importance of enhancing women's entrepreneurial activities. New emerging challenges such as the accelerating globalization, the rapid growth of information and communication technologies and the feminization of poverty are factors that make UNIFEM's work on economic empowerment more important than ever. |
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