Global value chains in Arab countries in context of female unemployment in the region

Globalization is constantly changing the shape of international trade, which today is reflected, among other things, in the fragmentation of production between individual states. Distribution of production in the so-called global value chains (GVCs) not only connects almost the entire world into production chains, but also has an impact on economic growth and development of the individual economies involved. Therefore, GVCs also act as a major employer in many countries, as evidenced by OECD statistics, where on average 30 % of employment in OECD countries comes from global value chains. This work examines the links between the involvement of Arab countries (MENA region) in GVCs and female unemployment, which is high in this region. The first chapter describes the situation of Arab women from a cultural and regulatory point of view and moreover, focuses on the role of education as an important factor in the labour market. The second chapter focuses on the trends of basic macroeconomic indicators related to the labour market. Furthermore, problematic aspects related to the labour force in the MENA region are identified in this chapter as well. The third chapter is devoted to GVCs, where the role of GVCs as an employer is evaluated and states are compared in terms of the degree of involvement in GVCs based on data from the Eora-UNCTAD database. Finally, the last chapter evaluates whether the participation of Arab countries in GVCs has a positive effect on women's employment in this region or not.