The rising number of educated women in the Middle East is not translating into jobs for them in the region — which, rather obviously, isn’t good for economic growth, according to a piece by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. World Bank data shows that almost all girls in the MENA region now attend school and more women attend universities than men. If these metrics do not translate into jobs, it curbs the benefits of “demographic dividend” — an acceleration of economic growth as the working-age population expands relative to the non-working-age.

“The demographic dividend is not going to be as good as in Asia,” said Tiziana Leone, assistant professor in demography at the London School of Economics. “If they want the benefit of it then you need more gender parity.” Blame for this lack of women employment is varied, with some blaming traditional conservatism in some countries and a lack of reproductive education in others. Countries in conflict also tend to see fewer women in the workforce.