Is gender equality achievable in the shift towards democracy in the Middle East despite the deep-rooted cultural beliefs? This is a daunting yet unavoidable question that hangs over us as we watch the Arab Spring evolve. A year of struggle, devotion, hope, and revolutions has finally given women a chance to break the barriers of fear and speak up.
A major shift, a major change, a major opportunity has surfaced for women in the Middle East. From Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere we have witnessed women fighting for change, rights, dignity and opportunity. It has been difficult to miss the powerful presence of women in the revolutions. Their involvement and participation in the public realm has been proven a necessary element of civic society. Their involvement has not only given women a voice but it has given women a chance to move towards gender equality. Whether it is through blogging, posing naked, or running for president, women are not shying away from the spotlight. The steps women are taking today are some of the most significant steps women have ever taken in the Middle East.
These movements have initiated the early stages of development which can boost education, job opportunities and gender equality. If these factors become fundamental requirements of society, then women can prosper and achieve their universal human rights. The accelerated drive for development through these revolutions has accordingly provided women with a platform that demands listening.
Seemingly, this platform has proved effective. Strikingly, women have treated the revolutions as an opportunity for democratic change where gender equality is a vital element of democracy. Their active stance and participation in the movements have proved their thirst for the advancement of equal rights. Such rights will only be established with the movement towards democracy, where some cultural, social and religious norms may need to be eliminated or adjusted accordingly.
This type of gradual change questions and challenges the deep rooted patriarchal elements in the region. In the pursuit of democracy and equality, the culture of male domination needs to either be rethought or adjusted suitably.
This can provide women with the opportunity of gaining equal stance, respect and dignity in society. These opportunities can be the stepping stones for increased female participation in a democratic society. Â Without the participation of women, a complete democracy cannot be achieved.
If a society neglects women’s voices, participation and basic rights, it can only be a democracy for half its citizens.
In order for women to enjoy equality, we need to remove the obstacles that seemingly keep women from participating effectively. In addition to overcoming cultural elements, public safety, mobility, access to information and equal resources must be enforced. These elements are important but not exclusive to the process of advancing women’s human rights and equality.
With respect to the deep-rooted cultural elements, both religious and historical, how do women overcome the huge barriers ahead of them? Or is there a way to preserve these elements while moving forward? Is the notion of globalization disputing the meaning of culture, religion, and politics in the Middle East? How can humanity advance without the participation and involvement of half the population?
The road towards gender equality is certainly not short or straightforward but what is important is that the first steps are being taken and acknowledged. No matter the size of the leap, the revolutions have empowered women to stand up and speak up. Â The time for change has come and there is no turning back.
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The ideals expressed in this article are good, and yes, there has been a push towards change recently in the middle east with a shift in the current political clime. That being said, this fails to acknowledge one of the most relevant issues which affect women’s rights in this region – Religion. Conservative Islamic practices inherently dictate gender roles, and the concept of gender itself, and is the dominantly accepted ideology in this area. It’s hard to fight fire with fire when one of the walls we’re trying to tear down has been there for centuries and is embraced and accepted by many of the women themselves.
Hey Maria. I completely understand your point about religion but what I think we often forget or ignore is that women “dominantly accept the religious ideology” because they have no other choice. They are born into it and if women go against the grain they are endangering their lives. How do we know that they truly do accept and embrace such ideologies if they are out in the streets protesting right now? A lot of the time such decisions are based on life or death. Clearly they are tired of the imposed system and forced views that unfortunately have controlled their identities. What we are seeing here is that no matter how high the obstacles are – they’re willing to fight and tear those walls down.
Maria and Veronica, thanks for your insightful comments. You are right, many women may embrace and accept the religious ideologies in the region but is this by choice or lack of education? Education has historically been restricted to religious instruction. When we lack to provide choices, people conform and adjust. And when we are blasted with religious ideologies from all corners of society, it becomes a part of our identity. Thus, we embrace and accept by default and by “choice.” We can’t say it is by choice if other options are not provided, accepted and respected. The intent of my website/article is to create dialogue. With improved education systems and increased global online access, people, whether male or female have realized that such religious ideologies are unhealthy for the governance of a society…globalization. Having said that, this site is not for me to prove my omniscience, it is here to provide platform for discussion so I am appreciative of your comments.
I agree – not all women want to be suppressed; that is clearly evident from the current protests. But what I am saying is that we have to understand that opposition to such oppression is going to be very slow-grained and immensely politically charged. Places where state governance is highly influenced by conservative religious practices usually are very slow to move towards efforts to decrease disparity. Moreover, it’s difficult to even know where to being. Let’s take a county like Iran. The governing body maintains their administration through suppression, and the prominence of religious integration into politics cannot be overlooked. The necessity for any change to happen here is a change in the Islamnic Penal codes, which are inherently sexist and delineate womens’ nature as deficient, or innately inferior to men. Politics here is INTEGRATED with religion – it’s not just an ideology, it’s governance. These women aren’t just fighting against dominantly accepted religious beliefs, they’re fighting against their governing bodies as well, as well as the social stigmatization that is often paired with the very act of a female protesting. I admire these women incredibly, and I support and greatly respect their cause. But we have to understand, here, living in the west, that these women are literally risking their lives just to prove that they’re not inferior humans and that they should not have to abide by laws which are inherently descriminate. There have been changes made. For example, women’s protests have made it difficult for a ‘full execution of’ the law of Islamic ta’zirat. But that is just one of many many steps. I’m proud of these women, but I think we underestimate what they’re battling against, and moreover too often neglect to acknowledge that we, as the priviledged women of the west, could indeed be taking initiatives to help their cause.
Sonja, I like and respect your initiatives. Dialogue is necessary, and especially in an era of increased communications and technologies, it is one of our primary tools of providing educational access to those who have often been restricted from it. That being said, we have to understand that while conditioning is affected by education, it is also massively affected by home life and tradition. I go to a University where I still frequently see women in head-to-toe traditional muslim garb here in Canada, and these are women who have some of the highest levels of education accessible. Tradition is something incredibly difficult to fight, especially as gender liberated ideas are often attributed to a ‘western’ ideology, believed to be ‘western ways of thinking’; in a region where the west is largely despised, this again becomes problematic in many ways.That being said, I agree. Education is key. But there is yet another road-block that these women face, which is accessibility to that education. Not all women have access to computer technologies, and many who do have to be cautious as to how they use that technology. I’m most certainly not an expert in the slightest on any of this, but I just recognise the complexities of these issues. While I’m proud of these women, part of me worries about the plight of their cause.
Maria you are an intelligent woman with intelligent points. These women are facing HUGE obstacles but I believe that they can be overcome with time…a lot of time. What’s most important is that we recognize the life-risking steps they are taking to achieve freedom. We have to encourage and inspire these women to keep going. I have utmost respect for these women. They are my inspiration and they drive me to respond in words to the steps they are taking. I don’t believe religion should be the driving force behind governing bodies but unfortunately it is in this region. As you said, these women are not just fighting against dominantly accepted religious beliefs, but they are fighting against the corrupt governance too. The steps they are taking now are building blocks towards a very strong foundation and governance where women, one day, will have their rights granted too. We don’t need to look back too far into our history to understand how the west has developed. I understand your worries, but what other options do they have at this point? This fight will be long and hard but it has to start somewhere and I think it fits in appropriately with the revolutions and shift towards democracy (or at least we hope). The challenges and complexities will continue but eventually society will break away from gender inequality and towards equality. We remain hopeful…