Despite significant progress in gender equality in Tunisia, women still face considerable wage disparities compared to their male counterparts. The Global Gender Gap Index reports Tunisia ranked 115th out of 146 countries, in 2024, with a parity score of 0.668, reflecting persistent gaps in economic participation and wage equality.

Although the country has made significant improvements since 2023, Tunisia has stalled in closing the gender wage gap. Tunisia is among the five countries with the largest gender pay gaps, alongside Sudan (82%), Algeria (81%), Egypt (79%) and Morocco (77%)​. As neighboring nations tackle similar issues, Tunisia risks falling further behind unless it takes bold action to address the root causes of wage inequality.

The Gender Wage Gap: A Persistent Issue

In Tunisia, as in many other countries, the gender wage gap is not simply a result of educational differences. Women in Tunisia are well-represented in education, particularly in higher education, with more women graduating than men in many fields. 

Despite higher literacy rates for females (79%) compared to males (72.2%), women remain underrepresented in higher-paying sectors. 

Women often work in traditionally lower-paying fields like teaching, health care and administrative roles, while men dominate more lucrative areas such as engineering and finance.

This occupational segregation results in women earning less than men in some sectors, even with similar qualifications, and being less likely to be hired. For instance, in the IT sector, women with the same credentials as their male counterparts are 15 % less likely to receive a callback from employers​.

Limited Leadership Opportunities

According to the World Bank, the country also faces a high degree of informal employment, Informal jobs tend to lack legal protections and social security benefits, intensifying economic insecurity for many women. Furthermore, women in Tunisia are significantly underrepresented in leadership positions, with only 26% of women holding middle and senior management roles​.

A combination of cultural norms, economic segregation and insufficient policies has influenced this, hindering women’s equal participation in the workforce. Tunisia also falls significantly behind in Political Empowerment scoring 0.216, reflecting a gender gap in political representation and leadership roles.

Women in Tunisia also face higher unemployment rates than men, with 20.61% of women unemployed compared to 13.6% of men. This is partly attributed to family and cultural pressures, especially in rural areas, where women are less likely to seek or pursue employment. As highlighted by the UN, women aged 15 and above spend 21.9% of their time on unpaid care and domestic work, compared to just 2.7% for men​.

Solutions

Several organizations and initiatives in Tunisia, such as UN Women, are actively working to address the gender pay gap and promote women’s economic empowerment. The UN Women office in Tunisia focuses on advocating for gender-sensitive policies and implementing programs to close the gender gap in education and employment. The UN Women: Strategic Note 2022–2025 focuses on three main pillars: 

1. Enhancing women’s access to economic opportunities and decent work
2. Fostering women’s political participation and leadership 
3. Promoting women participation for peacebuilding and reconciliation

Key achievements in 2022 include:

• Training 43 civil servants to implement gender-responsive budgeting frameworks that ensure government spending promotes equality.
• Engaging 197 individuals in research to empower women and foster resilient communities in southern Tunisia.
• Equipping 62 specialized units with better tools to investigate crimes against women and support survivors.

One initiative focuses on providing rural women with skills to enhance their participation in the labor market. The program addresses barriers like unsafe transportation, limited childcare and inadequate workplace safety, enabling women to access better opportunities.

The program, part of a broader UN effort to close gender gaps under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), worked closely with national and local governments to advocate for safer and more equitable workplaces fostering policy advocacy and community engagement.

While detailed numbers of beneficiaries are not yet available, the approach emphasizes systemic change by integrating gender equality into national policy and budgeting. 

Looking Ahead

Tunisia has made progress in education and health, but women continue to face significant challenges, including wage disparities, higher unemployment rates, and disproportionate time spent on unpaid labor. Initiatives like the UN Women Strategic Note 2022–2025 tackle these issues by promoting economic opportunities, advocating for gender-responsive policies, and addressing key barriers such as unsafe transportation and childcare. These efforts, combined with policy reforms, aim to close the gender gap and ensure women achieve greater empowerment in Tunisia.

– Arianna Distefano

Arianna is based in London, UK and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr