The Status of Women in Labor Market of Islamic and Non-Islamic Developing Countries (1995-2010)

Abstract During the history of mankind, women have always had a significant role in social, political and economic development. Nowadays, even though economic activities have expanded considerably, the share of women in labor force in many developing countries is still very low. In development studies, sometimes this question raises thatwhetherwomen's low participation rate is a result of religious and traditional beliefs. In this paper we tried to compare the status of women in the labor market of Islamic and Non-Islamic Countries by selecting 16 developing countries and also providing a statistical review of female participation rates in selected countries. Eventually, using numerical taxonomy method, we have shown that countries with a higher economic development, experience a better women's employment status; and religious differences have no significant (let alone negative) influence on women's participation rates.