Fifty Million Rising: The New Generation of Working Women Transforming the Muslim World

by Saadia Zahidi

Overview

There is a quiet revolution that is radically reshaping the Muslim world: 50 million women have entered the workforce and are upending their countries' economies and societies.

Across the Muslim world, ever greater numbers of women are going to work. In the span of just over a decade, millions have joined the workforce, giving them more earning and purchasing power and greater autonomy.

In Fifty Million Rising, award-winning economist Saadia Zahidi illuminates this discreet but momentous revolution through the stories of the remarkable women who are at the forefront of this shift -- a McDonald's worker in Pakistan who has climbed the ranks to manager; the founder of an online modest fashion startup in Indonesia; a widow in Cairo who runs a catering business with her daughter, against her son's wishes; and an executive in a Saudi corporation who is altering the culture of her workplace; among many others. These women are challenging familial and social conventions, as well as compelling businesses to cater to women as both workers and consumers. More importantly, they are gaining the economic power that will upend entrenched cultural norms, re-shape how women are viewed in the Muslim world and elsewhere, and change the mindset of the next generation.

Inspiring and deeply reported, Fifty Million Rising is a uniquely insightful portrait of a seismic shift with global significance, as Muslim women worldwide claim a seat at the table.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781568585918
Publisher:	PublicAffairs
Publication date:	01/30/2018
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	822 KB

About the Author

Saadia Zahidi is head of Education, Gender and Work and a member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum. She is a founder and coauthor of the WEF's Global Gender Gap, Human Capital and Future of Jobs reports. In 2013 and 2014, she was named one of BBC's 100 Women driving change in economics, politics, and society. She is the recipient of the FT/McKinsey Bracken Brower Prize, promoting young authors writing on emerging business themes, for Fifty Million Rising.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Khadija's Daughters 1

1 Education Pioneers 15

2 Workforce Trailblazers 43

3 Uncharted Waters 73

4 A Digital Opportunity 99

5 A New Marriage Market 125

6 Business at the Frontlines 155

7 Ministers and Mullahs 189

Conclusion: What's Next? 229

Acknowledgments 241

Notes 247

Index 259

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2018
Drawing on statistics and interviews with women in 30 Muslim-majority countries, Zahidi chronicles the varied work experiences of women workers, entrepreneurs, and CEOs, along with male advocates. Zahidi is a member of the World Economic Forum and head of the nonprofit's Gender and Work System Initiative. First, she looks at the rise of Muslim women in the workplace throughout the world, linking it to an overall increase in women's education as well as the need for a second income in many families. The women profiled deftly navigate a patriarchal culture, which strongly discourages women from working, and often struggle to obtain approval from family members. The Internet plays a significant role in these women's lives, as it allows them to operate their own businesses while adhering to cultural norms, which helps their efforts gain acceptance. Additionally, the author notices that working women provide more opportunities for lower-class women. Zahidi acknowledges that barriers to further workplace engagement exist, and she provides suggestions for governments to improve the situation; she closes by predicting future trends. VERDICT A celebration of Muslim women's accomplishments in the workplace. Recommended for all readers interested in women's issues, especially in the Muslim world.—Rebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Library Journal

12/04/2017
Economist Zahidi offers an enthusiastic report on the paradigms shifting across Muslim-majority countries as women enter the workforce in droves, creating massive social and economic change. Acknowledging that the Muslim world “covers a vast spread of geographies, cultures, and economies,” Zahidi finds common ground in the positive effects of women joining the workforce, including the availability of disposable income and growing independence for women—aided by the “virtuous cycle” of shrinking education gaps between men and women. Though she excerpts interviews with fascinating women including CEOs, doctors, Islamic scholars, and domestic workers, Zahidi shows more comfort with the number crunching of economic indicators such as wages, GDPs, and employment percentages than with a nuanced exploration of the everyday lives of women, such as the persistent challenge of trying to balance feminism and tradition. Optimistic about women’s “widening set of choices” and the capacity for businesses and governments to initiate societal change in efforts such as recruitment and retention, Zahidi’s report provides a valuable baseline for measuring future progress and helps to debunk Western myths about Muslim women. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

"A much-needed celebration of courageous women, and a reminder that education for girls and women can transform our communities and our world."—Malala Yousafzai, Co-Founder, Malala Fund

"A stirring read on the essential role of working women in the Muslim world. Saadia Zahidi deftly describes the personal and political, emotional and economic, local and global dynamics that are finally enabling women to gain the opportunity and the power that they deserve. The world will be a better place because of it."—Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg

"Work is a source of identity, meaning, dignity, and fulfilment for many of us. For the women who have joined the workforce in the Muslim world-and for their societies-it is nothing short of transformational. Fifty Million Rising is an indispensable guide to a unique and hopeful economic story."—Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

"Fifty Million Rising shows how digital technologies are enhancing opportunities for a new female workforce in the emerging markets of the Muslim world. If you care about technology and social inclusion, you need to read Saadia Zahidi's important book."—Erik Brynjolfsson, Professor at MIT and co-author of The Second Machine Age and Machine | Platform | Crowd

"Impressive. Drawing on economic data and interviews with female domestic workers, entrepreneurs, doctors, and C.E.O.s, Zahidi relates daunting and largely unheralded journeys."—New Yorker

"Starting with her arresting insight that the first convert to Islam - Khadija, the wealthy trader who later married the prophet Muhammad - was a businesswoman, Zahidi explores this under-researched area with élan and a wealth of reportage."—Financial Times

"In this lucid presentation, [Zahidi] draws on 200 interviews to depict an inexorable march forward for Muslim women, who are set to make up over 30 percent of the global Muslim work force by 2030."—Foreign Affairs

"Zahidi provides an engaging, clear-eyed analysis of the dynamic economic changes that may usher in a new 'Golden Age' of Islam. Her book subverts prevalent stereotypes about Muslim women through their personal stories and contributions to their respective societies. Their resilience, determination and pioneering spirit will leave an indelible mark for years to come."—Globe and Mail

"Zahidi makes her literary debut with an informative and revealing look at the work life of Muslim women throughout the Middle East and South, Central, and East Asia... A well-documented and fresh perspective on Muslim society."—Kirkus Reviews

"In this fascinating look at a monumental shift, Zahidi elevates the voices of women across the world who speak about their motivations, successes, and challenges in forging new paths."—Booklist

"A valuable baseline for measuring future progress and helps to debunk Western myths about Muslim women."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2017-11-13
How an influx of working women is changing the Muslim world.Head of Education, Gender, and Work at the World Economic Forum, Zahidi makes her literary debut with an informative and revealing look at the work life of Muslim women throughout the Middle East and South, Central, and East Asia. Drawing from interviews in 16 countries with 200 women from different classes and professions, the author paints an optimistic picture of women's increasing participation in the economies and politics of their communities. With policymakers and business leaders in mind, she bolsters her profiles of individual women with persuasive statistics about women's work and its impact on family dynamics, businesses, and education. Since 2000, 50 million women have joined the workforce throughout the Muslim region, an unprecedented increase in less than a generation. Zahidi points to several reasons for this astonishing change: an expansion of girls' education, with some governments, such as the United Arab Emirates, making "deliberate efforts" to bring educated women into the workforce; a decline in fertility, freeing women from prolonged infant care; increased funding for women-owned businesses; and technology, which allows women to work flexibly, connect with customers easily, and become exposed "to the aspirations of women around the world." Crucial to women's ability to work is the cooperation of husbands, brothers, and fathers; one woman, allowed to go to university, was held back from working by her father, who insisted "that she observe the strictest rules of female seclusion." Zahidi was heartened to learn that educated women are seen as good marriage prospects, and the dual-career family is accepted—and even desired—by younger women and men who "have lost interest in reliving the traditional breadwinner and caregiving model of their own fathers and mothers." Despite some legal and societal challenges that still exist to impede women's agency, Zahidi looks forward to a "prosperous, dynamic" future for Muslim women.A well-documented and fresh perspective on Muslim society.

Kirkus Reviews