WOMEN’S ROLE IN POLITICS IN

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH

AFRICA
BY: JESSA JUNE PANGISBAN
 OBJECTIVES OF THE REPORT:
To determine the challenges faced by
women in the MENA
To determine the things that women
aren’t allowed to do because of their
cultural norms and their religion.
To identify the Political participation of
women in MENA.
 FLOW OF REPORT

Jewish and
Christian Women
situation

Challenges faced
by women in MENA

Role of social media

in Women
Empowerment

Political participation
of women in MENA

Monarchial Democratic Theocratic Authoritarian

 WOMEN’S SITUATIONS AS CHRISTIANS AND
JEWS IN THE MENA.
Christians Jews
- They were given governmental - There is high women
positions especially in countries empowerment.
with significant Christian - They experienced extreme
population but there are segregation between men
instances where there are and women imposed by ultra-
limitations. orthodox religious
- Christians received more communities.
discrimination in Political - They are also the usual victims
institutions and workforce. of domestic violence and low
- They are the constant targets of wages.
the Fundamentalist groups.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY WOMEN IN
MENA

CHILD HONOR
FEMALE KILLING
MARRIAGE CIRCUMCISION

CHILD
MARITAL RAPE
CUSTODY

STRICT
DRESS
CODE
SOCIAL MEDIA AS AN AVENUE TO
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Women’s movements in the Middle East
 WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS IN THE MIDDLE
EAST
What were they trying to
advocate?
What were the challenges that
they faced ?
What were the reasons as to why
other women are not too eager to
pursue Feminist advocacies?
• They wanted to gain equal rights in the
Patriarchal society of the Middle East.
• They also wanted to remove the discrimination
brought by the cultural norms of the Arab
Nations
• They experienced different
levels of violence and
harassment.
• They have their Religious beliefs that men
shall be obeyed and doing anything in
opposition to this will just bring shame to
the family.
WOMEN’S SEAT IN THE UPPER HOUSE
25.
31.3% 27.5 5%
7.5 22.
%
% 4.7% 3.1% 9.8% 5%
13.2
15.4% %

5.9%
25.8%
14.9
16% % 19.9%

0.0
%

20.5% 30.5% 1.2%

26.2%
SEATS FOR WOMEN IN THE
LOWER HOUSE (FOR THOSE
BICAMERAL)

15.4
22.5
%
%

11.7%
7.0%

35.2% 16.
5%
 WOMEN WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTAL POSITIONS IN
MENA
Her Her
Dr. Hayat Sindi Excellency Excellenc
Reem y Sheikha
Ebrahim Al- Lubna
Hashimi bint
Khalid bin
Sultan Al Queen Rania Al-
Qasimi Abdullah
Salma Elloumi Faeqa bint Majd
Lina Ennab
Rekik Saeed Al-Saleh Shweikeh

Madeeha bint
Ahmed bin Nassir
Al-Shibaniyah

Hind Subaih
Houda Iman Barrak Al- Ghada
Feraoun Waly Sahar Nasr
 WOMEN SUFFRAGE
Right to vote Right to stand for election
Algeria July 5th, 1962 July 5th, 1962
Bahrain
October 24th, 2002 October 24th, 2002

Djibouti
1946 1986

Egypt
June 23rd, 1956 June 23rd, 1956

Iran
September 1963 September 1963

Iraq

February 1980 February 1980

 Right to vote Right to stand for
election
Israel
May 15th, 1948 May 15th, 1948

Jordan
1974* 1974*

Kuwait 2005 2005

Lebanon 1952 1952

Libya 1963 1963

 Right to vote Right to stand for election

Morocco
May 1963 May 1963

Oman 1997 1997

Qatar 1999 1999

Saudi Arabia
2015 Municipal Elections 2015 Municipal Elections

Sudan November 1964

November 1964

Syria
Sept. 10, 1949 1953

Tunisia
June 1st, 1959
June 1st, 1959
UAE 2006 2006
EXAMPLE OF WOMEN
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN A
MONARCHIAL GOVERNMENT

SAUDI ARABIA
GENDER GAP BROUGHT BY CULTURAL NORMS
REPRESENTATION IN THE GOVERNMENT

SHURA COUNCIL
30 out of 151 seats (19.9%)

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
20 out of 2100 seats
(1%)
 FEMINIST MOVEMENTS
Their advocacies Their ways of demanding
actions from the
Challenges that
government they are facing

• They are • Participating in non- • Some faced

demanding for violent protests, imprisonment, some
equal rights chanting slogans had a travel ban
between women hostile to the regime, imposed upon them
and men. attempting to and worst case
• They are asking for inflame public possible, they can
removal of opinion and filming even be sanctioned
guardianship protests and with death penalty.
system. publishing on social
media.
 REFORMS AND POLICIES FOR WOMEN

They were allowed to drive

Women are being appointed to leadership roles such as vice
president for women’s affairs at the General Sports Authority
The number of Saudi female diplomats has increased to 113
from 87 in 2015.
Women can now gain custody of their children after a divorce.
They can enter sports stadium.
They were allowed to ride bicycles and motorbikes.
 Female Royalties
Were they given much Were they given the Can they do things that
representation in the chance to speak about normal women in the
government? their Women’s rights? country cannot?

Only 2 out of 30 There are many - They can choose not to

wear the highly-
instances that Royal
members of Princesses had talked conservative abaya, they
can travel, they can set
the Shura about women’s rights. up their own businesses.
They are allowed to
Council are do so but not to the
But if they commit things
such as adultery, which
from Royal extent that they will brings shame to the royal
talk ill of the ruling of family, they are bound to
family. the King. face prosecution.
EXAMPLE OF WOMEN
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN
AN AUTHORITARIAN REGIME

SYRIA
GENDER GAP BROUGHT BY CULTURAL
NORMS
REPRESENTATION IN THE GOVERNMENT

Vice President LEGISLATIVE

Najah Al Attar BRANCH- 13.2%
 FEMINIST MOVEMENTS
Their advocacies Their actions in promoting Challenges that they are
Women empowerment facing

• They are asking for • Monitoring

equality and women-
and • Imprisonment,
documenting
inclusive Syria.
human rights
torture, rape.
• They are asking for
protection of the rights abuses
of women and • creating local
minorities political councils
• They are asking justice • distributing
for the millions of humanitarian aid.
Syrians who have
been the victims of
war crimes.
 REFORMS AND POLICIES FOR WOMEN

The Women’s Advisory Board was

created consisting of 12 Syrian women
who serve as third-party observers to
peace talks.