Women and Development in North Africa Gender inequality is a major problem for women and girls and development has started to take place to overcome this injustice towards the female population in North Africa and the Middle East. East. Gender inequality has become a significant and visible problem for economies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). I researched how women in North Africa are deprived of many opportunities and are under-educated. The female population has suffered enormously in Africa. Currently, women in Africa, like many women in third world countries, have not been included as equal and effective stakeholders in the processes that determine their lives. African women continue to have less access to education than men; they continue to have fewer opportunities for employment and advancement; their roles and contribution to national and continental development processes are neither recognized nor rewarded; and although women are the first victims of conflicts, they are generally not included in peace negotiations or other initiatives in this regard. The mortality of women and girls constitutes the most systematic discrimination against women. Women and girls are likely to be poorer than their male counterparts. Studies have shown that girls are less nourished than their brothers and that illnesses are also less likely to be treated. Cultural factors play a major role in humanity and women's development. Many girls are forced to marry young and have many more children than they would like. They are not able to stand up to their husbands without suffering the consequences of being beaten. This vicious cycle disadvantages women and perpetuates poverty. Despite positive measures, support is inadequate and there is no extended family. Works Cited Coclough, Christopher. Achieving schooling for all in Africa: costs, commitment and gender. Vermont: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2003. King, Elizabeth M., Hill, M. Anne. Women's education in developing countries: obstacles, benefits and policies. Washington, DC: World Bank Book, 1993. Knapp, Barbara, Sperling, Gene B. What works in girls' education: Evidence and policies from the developing world. New York: Foreign Relations, 2004. Manuh, Takyiwaa, “Women in Africa's Development: Overcoming Obstacles, Pushing for Progress.” Issue 11, April 1998. http://un.org/ecosocdev/Razavi, Shahrashoub and Miller, Carol. From WID to GED: Conceptual Shifts in Discourses on Women and Development, Geneva: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Occasional Paper 1, 1995.www.cfr.org