Lebanon is currently placed 145 out of 153 countries on the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index 2020. This low ranking in the Gender Gap Index is primarily a result of ranking at the bottom in the Economic Opportunity and Participation sub-index (139th) and the Political Empowerment sub-index (149th). While women in Lebanon possess the capacities to play leading roles in civil society organizations and in managerial positions within both the private and public sectors, their presence at this level within the workforce is still very low when compared to men. Few women in Lebanon reach positions of management or senior posts: firms with women as top managers in Lebanon account for only 4%, while the percentage is at 5% in the MENA region and at 19% worldwide.

The study presents an overall analysis of barriers and opportunities for the creation of value chains with potential growth where women have non-traditional roles and greater potential for economic participation and leadership. It analyzes women’s access, participation, and control of existing economic resources across 12 agricultural and non-agricultural value chains.