cover image Fifty Million Rising: The New Generation of Working Women Revolutionizing the Muslim World

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

Saadia Zahidi. Nation, $28 (288p) ISBN 978-1-56858-590-1

Economist Zahidi offers an enthusiastic report on the paradigms shifting across Muslim-majority countries as women enter the workforce in droves, creating massive social and economic change. Acknowledging that the Muslim world “covers a vast spread of geographies, cultures, and economies,” Zahidi finds common ground in the positive effects of women joining the workforce, including the availability of disposable income and growing independence for women—aided by the “virtuous cycle” of shrinking education gaps between men and women. Though she excerpts interviews with fascinating women including CEOs, doctors, Islamic scholars, and domestic workers, Zahidi shows more comfort with the number crunching of economic indicators such as wages, GDPs, and employment percentages than with a nuanced exploration of the everyday lives of women, such as the persistent challenge of trying to balance feminism and tradition. Optimistic about women’s “widening set of choices” and the capacity for businesses and governments to initiate societal change in efforts such as recruitment and retention, Zahidi’s report provides a valuable baseline for measuring future progress and helps to debunk Western myths about Muslim women.[em] (Feb.) [/em]