Investigating the Impact of Women's Employment on Economic Growth in Selected Middle East Countries: Using the Panel Data

Achieving high economic growth rates can be considered as one of the major goals of any economic system that is independent of social, economic and cultural development.Considering the fact that women's employment in different sectors of the economy has driven the wheels of the country's economy and played a major role in the development and growth of the economy, it is very important to examine the role and position of women's employment in increasing the country's economic growth.In this study, women's employment statistics, including women's activities in the agricultural sector, industry and services, as well as economic growth (GDP per capita), were collected from the World Bank and analyzed using Eviews software.The findings of the researchbased on the econometric model of the panel data of the thirteen Middle Eastern countries (Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen) in 2010-2015, Shows that the variables of women's activity in all sectors of agriculture, industry and services have had a positive and significant effect on GDP per capita.The activity of women in the economic sectors is capable of explaining changes in GDP.This means that increasing the employment of women will increase the probability of GDP per capita.Therefore, consideration of women's employment status and their directing to the labor market can provide the basis for growth and development in the economic and social spheres of the country.