This study describes the policy orientations of the Palestinian government regarding public expenditure on the social sector. It presents a number of recommendations that would help formulate more inclusive policies to reduce inequalities among citizens and create a social and economic environment that allows equal access to services and opportunities, and encourage citizens’ participation in public affairs.

The study reveals several aspects of gender inequality. For instance, unemployment rate among Palestinian women increased to 47.8% in 2017 compared to 2008 when it was only 24.2%. With regards to the opportunities to access promotions and higher positions, ten years ago were not enough to increase the number of women at the level of Director-General and above, as women still holds only 11.3% of these positions. As for the average wage of the worker, this average rose by 27% for males compared to only 10% for women between 2008 and 2017.

The study also reveals that, in the educational field, the number of years of education is commensurate with the unemployment rates of women and is disproportionate to males unemployment rates. The higher the years of education females achieve, the higher the rate of unemployment and it, actually, culminates with women with university degrees as it reached 52.2% in 2017, while the unemployment rate of males with university degrees is 19.7%.