Transcript Women’s empowerment in the Arab World

By Marianne Laanatza
 Empowerment
and Women
 CEDAW and the Arab States
 Arab Women Organization
 Compare Muslims Women’s Formal
Rights with Swedish Women’s rights some
centuries ago
 Arab Women and Family Legislation;
examples from Tunisia and Morocco
[email protected]
2012-03-15
2
 Arab Women
and Education
 Experience from Oman,Qatar and United
Arab Emirates
 Arab Women in the GCC and private
capital
 Saudi Women and ownership of
companies and manager
 New established companies and women
in the Arab Gulf Countries
[email protected]
2012-03-15
3
 Arab
women in the parliaments; in
Tunisia and Morocco
 Women in Parliament – some
comparisons
 Arab women and political impact in
Saudi Arabia
 Arab Women as ”priests”/Imams
[email protected]
2012-03-15
4
 Arab Women
Initiativ in Brussels in 2005
 Arab Women Ministers and
Ambassadors, General Directors and
Professors etc.
 Summing-up and some comments
[email protected]
2012-03-15
5
 Empowerment
of women, also called
gender empowerment, has become a
significant topic of discussion in regards
to development and economics. Entire
nations, businesses, communities, and
groups can benefit from the
implementation of programs and policies
that adopt the notion of women
empowerment
[email protected]
2012-03-15
6
 Gender
empowerment can be measured
through the Gender Empowerment
Measure, or the GEM. The GEM shows
women’s participation in a given nation,
both politically and economically
[email protected]
2012-03-15
7
 One
way to deploy the empowerment of
women is through land rights. Land rights
offer a key way to economically empower
women, giving them the confidence they
need to tackle gender inequalities.
[email protected]
2012-03-15
8
 The
Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN
General Assembly, is often described as
an international bill of rights for women.
[email protected]
2012-03-15
9
 As
of July 2011, 187 states have ratified or
acceded to the treaty.
 In addition, the United States has signed
but not ratified the treaty
 Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia have
all ratified CEDAW
[email protected]
2012-03-15
10
 Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon,
Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Syria, UAE,
Yemen
 Iran ratified by the parliament in 2003
and then vetoed by the Guardian Council
[email protected]
2012-03-15
11
The Arab Women Organization is an
intergovernmental organization established
under the umbrella of the League of Arab
States and headquartered in Egypt.


It emerged from the Cairo Declaration
issued by the First Arab Women Summit
which convened in Cairo in November 2000

[email protected]
2012-03-15
12
 The
agreement came into effect in March
2003.
The Executive Council of AWO includes
Arab First Ladies or their representatives.
Its presidency rotates biennially
according to the alphabetical order in
force at the League of Arab States.
[email protected]
2012-03-15
13
 In
Sweden: Until 1845 a daughter could not
inheritage as much as a son – often less than
halv – especially on the country-side
 Unmarried women could attain her majority
when she was 25 years old since 1863
 In 1872 it became forbidden to arrange
marriages
 A married women could not attain her
majority – never political or economic until
1920
[email protected]
2012-03-15
14
 Important
changes regarding the Family
law
 To forbid or avoid polygami
 Equal rights for husband and wife and
okigations regarding the children
 Equal right to divoce
 Equal rights to take care of the children
after a divorce
[email protected]
2012-03-15
15



Since the period of President Bourguiba
polygami has been forbidden in Tunisia
How to dress – mordernization like
Kemal Ataturk
To eat during Ramadan …
[email protected]
2012-03-15
16
 New
Family Law - MUDAWANA – 2003
 Based on Sharia
 Confrontations between those in favor
and those against; Demonstrations in
favor in Rabat and against in Casablabca
 An interesting way to solve the problem
by the king Mohammed VI
 The result …
[email protected]
2012-03-15
17
 The
new Moroccan legislation
MUDAWANA has not only strengthened
the position of women in Morocco, but
also met great interest in other Muslim
countries as well as i Europe
[email protected]
2012-03-15
18
 Meanwhiles
many Arab women are still
illiterate – there are more female than
male students in Arab Universities
 The women’s share is about 60 per cent
 The same level as in Sweden and the rest
of the EU
[email protected]
2012-03-15
19
 Why
Universities were build also for
female students?
 Men wanted educated women
 Jobs offered to all women in public
sector…
 The per cent of female student increased
to 75 per cent
 Lots of young women are engineeres
[email protected]
2012-03-15
20
A
delegation of Omani women visited
Sweden in 2004
 Leading women, who represented
University, companies and Parliament, as
well as some governmental institutions
 Difficult to match with Swedish women
 Women’s rights in Oman
[email protected]
2012-03-15
21
 The
consequences of heritage which
follows Sharia for Saudi Women after two
generations of oil wealth
 Women own about 50 per cent of the
private capital
[email protected]
2012-03-15
22
A
great number of Saudi women has
become owner of companies through
heritage.
 A Saudi Women represents SCANIA
 Saudi Women organize Investment
Conferences and Conferences on Saudi
Economic Development Strategy – not
unusual with 400-500 women participants
[email protected]
2012-03-15
23
 The
percentage of women who establish
new companies is higher than for men
(Based on World Bank Reports)
 Women who establish new companies
have in general better education in
economics/Accounts as well as in
technical matters.
[email protected]
2012-03-15
24
 In Tunisia
now 42 per cent (earlier 27 per
cent) women in the parliament
 In Morocco now 17 per cent (earlier 10
per cent) the number increased from 37
to 67
 The system in Morocco from 2002 …
[email protected]
2012-03-15
25
 Average for Arab States:
 11.3% in Single House or
House,
 7.3% in Upper House
 10.7% in both
 Some




Lower
examples:
In Iraq 25 per cent,
In UAE 17 per cent,
Bahrain 10 per cent and 27 per cent,
In Oman 1 per cent and 18 per cent
[email protected]
2012-03-15
26
In Jordan 11 per cent and 12 per cent
In Turkey 14 % per cent(earlier only
4%)
 In Algeria 8 per cent,
 In Kuwait 8 per cent
 In Lebanon and Iran 3 per cent each
 In Egypt only 2 per cent (earlier 3 per
cent)
 In Yemen 1 per cent and 2 per cent
 None in Qatar and in Saudi Arabia


[email protected]
2012-03-15
27
 Other
tools for Women Influece and
Political impact in Saudi Arabaia, namely
through Chambers of Commerce and
Industry and through Women
Entrepreneur Networks
 The Election law allows women to
particiate in the municipal election,
but……
[email protected]
2012-03-15
28
 Women
who are experts on Sharia is not
new in some Arab States, but has become
more frequent
 In Morocco one step further has been
taken to train women as a kind of Imams
to explain Islam in the country side,
educate women in social legal rights etc.
[email protected]
2012-03-15
29
 More
than hundred Arab Women
Representatives decided to organize a
meeting in Brussels with Women
representatives from the EU Parliament and
member Countries as well as the
Commission to better explain the position of
Women in Arab Countries – their progress
and needs to reach better understanding
from the European side and to eliminate
some prejudices

[email protected]
2012-03-15
30
 Today
there are many Arab Women Ministrers,
Women Ambassadors
 The case of the ”Two Faridas” in Stockholm
 It is not unusual any longer with Arab Women
as General Directors or as Head of Hospitals
and Schools
 Center of Arab Woman for Training and Research
- CAWTAR –in Tunis higlightening Gender
Equity and Social Practices as well as Gender
based violence.
[email protected]
2012-03-15
31
 Several
positive examples of progress of
Arab women have been highlighted –
although so many obstacles are still
hindering Gender Equity
 The development in some countries is more
promising than in other countries
 The problem with illiterated women has to
be solved
 Today it is very difficult to see any progress
for women in Egypt and Yemen – although
they have participated in the
revolutions/upheavels
[email protected]
2012-03-15
32
[email protected]
2012-03-15
33