Women’s workforce participation gap persists despite higher education levels, report finds

CAIRO - 21 June 2026: Women continue to face a gap between education and employment participation in Egypt, with women representing the majority of university graduates but a smaller share of the labour force, according to a new labour market analysis.

 

The report, based on WUZZUF data covering 2025, found that women account for 53 percent of university graduates in Egypt, but represent only 33 percent of university-educated workers and 29 percent of the total workforce.

 

The analysis reviewed more than 5.4 million job applications submitted by over 400,000 active job seekers across more than 50,000 job postings, examining recruitment patterns, employer engagement, and salary expectations.

 

Despite lower participation levels, women showed stronger engagement during early recruitment stages. Female applicants received 6.2 percent more employer views than male applicants and achieved 1.4 percent higher rates of employer outreach and interview opportunities per application.

 

However, women’s overall activity on the job market remains lower. Women represented 41 percent of job seekers on the platform in 2025 but accounted for only 29 percent of submitted applications. Female applicants applied for an average of 10.6 jobs, compared with 14 jobs for male applicants.

 

The report pointed to flexibility challenges as a major factor affecting women’s employment choices. While 18 percent of women prefer fully remote jobs, only 7 percent of available vacancies offered remote work arrangements.

 

Career progression also showed differences between men and women. Students and fresh graduates represented 51 percent of female users compared with 37 percent of male users, while experienced and managerial profiles made up 45 percent of women compared with 57 percent of men.

 

On salaries, women’s expectations were generally aligned with market ranges for the positions they applied for, while men’s expectations exceeded upper salary bands by up to 12 percent.

 

The report also found that job postings without gender targeting offered the highest average salaries, reaching LE 19,000, compared with LE 18,000 for male-targeted roles and LE 13,000 for female-targeted roles.