Gender and Labor Markets in Tunisia’s Lagging Regions

There are significant differences between men and women’s labor market outcomes Tunisia. The size of these gender gaps shows substantial variation across regions, notably between the richer coastal and eastern regions and the poorer southern and western regions. This Paper uses the 2014 Tunisia Labor Market Panel Survey (TLMPS) to examine the characteristics of male and female labor market participants in the lagging southern, western, and central regions, and in the leading regions. It also discusses the factors that influence monthly wages and the probability of employment for men and women respectively. Our results show that gender plays a huge role in labor market outcomes: women are less likely to participate in the labor force and are more likely to be unemployed and to receive lower wages. Young people and educated women in lagging regions are particularly disadvantaged as they are less likely to find a job and may not have the option to move to places where the prospect of employment is better. Moreover, our results suggest that wage discrimination against women is prevalent outside the leading region in Tunisia.