The below article is the first of a series of articles being produced by the AMEL Working Group MENA Advocates for Gender Equality.
What Would Women in MENA Enjoy if They Were Men?
by Sarah Al-Eryani
Despite progress made, according to the World Economic Forum, it will still take 150 years to close the gender gap in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In order to better understand the challenges women in the MENA region face, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Advocates for Gender Equality (AGE) Initiative surveyed women by asking “what would you enjoy if you were a man?”. MENA AGE created a 4-minute video featuring their responses. The most common issues responses were safety from violence (particularly domestic violence), ability to enjoy childhood (not being subjected to child marriage), participation in decision-making, and enjoying freedom (to travel, to make decisions, etc.). This article will delve further into these topics.
Domestic Violence
Several women in the video mentioned physical safety as something they would enjoy if they were men. They identified fear of domestic violence in particular. The data that we have is incomplete but still suggests that violence against women is widespread in the region. For example, UN Women (YEAR) reported that 37% of Arab women have experienced some sort of violence in their lifetime, but the number might be even higher as not all cases are reported. Moreover, rapists in the Arab region are shown leniency or even cleared if they marry the victim. [1] The good news is that some countries such as Jordan and Lebanon have passed laws to prevent violence against women, yet, most countries still lack legal protections for victims of gender-based violence. A possible reason for this is that protecting women from domestic violence may be viewed as undermining men’s authority as the heads of the family. Indeed, using this very logic, religious groups have been the most vocal in opposing legal change to address gender-based violence. Even though legal reforms in the region are not perfect and don’t address every situation, such as marital rape, passing laws is still a step in the right direction.[2] It is important that countries throughout the MENA region adopt these legal reforms. At the same time, there needs to be a transformative norm change to challenge the assertion that violence is acceptable.
Child Marriage
Enjoying childhood was another common answer in response to our survey question. Many children, girls in particular, are married off at an early age across the region. While over half of the MENA countries set a minimum age for marriage, which is 18 and above for both genders, 13 countries have provisions in their family law that still allows a religious court to marry girls below the legal age of marriage. Some countries, such as Yemen have no minimum age set for marriage, and some countries like Iran set 13 as the minimum age for marriage for girls.[3] This is a disturbing thought when one thinks of how much little girls have to give up to be mothers, such as school, playing with friends, the responsibility to take care of her children while the mother is still a child, and the chance of dying during childbirth. While the prevalence of child marriage in MENA remains high, it has dropped from one in three to one in five over the past 25 years (UNICEF 2018). Legal reforms, educational gains, and sustained activism have all helped.
Decision-Making
The women in the video voiced their interest in having a say in the decision-making process, whether in their own life or in the family. A survey was conducted by the Arab Barometer (2018) in different MENA countries to understand the public’s opinion on gender equality. In this survey men and women were asked whether they supported women’s rights to education, employment and politics, and more women than men expressed that they believe women should hold equal rights. However, despite the public stating that they support women’s rights, the majority of them said that they believe that the role of women in society should be limited. Examples of roles women hold in society include leadership roles and decision-making roles within the family. The survey found that one third believe women are not as effective in public leadership compared to men, which means that the majority believe that men would make better leaders because they would ensure the safety of the country and because of characteristics that would hinder the performance of women. Six-in-ten of those surveyed think that the husband should have the final say in decision-making within the family. This corresponds with MENA AGE’s findings. Empowering women to have a greater say in decision-making clearly requires a norm shift. Yet, this can be supported through policy reforms. For example, many MENA countries have begun introducing quotas to get more women involved in politics. As women increasingly contribute to the political realm, the view that women are not as effective in public leadership roles will be challenged.
Lack of Freedom
Perhaps the most common answer in the video was freedom. Men have much more autonomy than women. All the obstacles mentioned in the video come down to women not having freedom, including the right to speak up when they are subject to violence, the right to marry at a legal age and the right to make their own decisions regarding their life. Countries should create an environment for women where they have the freedom to act in their own best interest, without the interference of men, or societal pressure.
This brings us to an important question: “how can we put an end to this injustice?” Does the change start with us or do we need to change the laws? The findings discussed in this article are a first step to highlight particular issues of concern for women across the MENA region. Through this platform we aim to raise awareness of the severity of gender issues and highlight promising examples of addressing those. Recognizing the problems is critical but we must also look to positive stories to give us hope that a more gender equal future is possible. In subsequent videos and article, we will continue in this pursuit.
[1] UN Women Arab States. https://arabstates.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
[2] Against Wind and Tides: A Review of the Status of Women and Gender Equality in the Arab Region (Beijing +20). (2016). https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2283ESCWA_Women%20and%20Gender%20Equality%20in%20the%20Arab%20Region_Beijing20.pdf
[3] Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Issues for Congress. (2020). https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R46423.pdf