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

Description

While the news out of the Muslim world has been focused on the threat of extremism from ISIS and Al Qaeda, a quiet but powerful shift has been taking place among women. In the last 10 years alone, nearly 50 million Muslim women have entered the workforce, arming them with more purchasing and earning power and giving them greater autonomy. Saadia Zahidi, a Senior Director at the World Economic Forum, argues that these profound changes will not only empower women; they will also revolutionize and strengthen the economies of their countries. Zahidi documents this revolution through the stories of the remarkable women who are at the forefront of this shift, from McDonald's workers in Pakistan, to middle class software technicians in Egypt, to the heads of global Saudi conglomerates. Zahidi calculates that if female labor participation rose to Western levels, the GDP of many Middle East regions would spike dramatically. The implications are enormous. As businesses learn how to integrate the new female talent pool, their business models will need to adapt to accommodate their new consumers and their new talent. New businesses are already beginning to emerge that cater to women's purchasing power, creating new opportunities for female entrepreneurs, and growing the health, education, food, beverage, and retail sectors that are critical to a diversified, stable economy. At the same time, the new economic and social power of women will force the hands of politicians and policymakers who still consider women second class citizens. Many of these women face a backlash from conservative voices and even members of their families. But because this is an economic revolution, Zahidi argues that it will endure, overcoming cultural mores and forever remaking these societies in ways that we, too, can learn from.

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 this book.

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 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 A valuable baseline for measuring future progress and helps to debunk Western myths about Muslim women.--Publishers Weekly 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 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 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 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 elan and a wealth of reportage.--Financial Times 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 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 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