For example, pressure to participate in early marriage or forced marriage is often endorsed by female heads of households, who are often single mothers, as a way to uphold traditional values. This practice can be an important factor in restricting women’s chances for completing a high level of education and developing professional skills in the labour market. Over the last few decades, the MENA region has witnessed a series of demographic and cultural changes that have levelled a substantive impact on the progress of women in the region. A mixture of high fertility rates with a decreasing mortality rate have resulted in an increase in the population aged 15-64.