International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics has launched Arabic version of its website

On 27 October 2009, the International Network of Women in Politics launched the Arabic version of its website in Amman, Jordan. The site is intended to increase the number of women involved in politics and their effectiveness.

 

Conference on Abortion in Egypt

The New Women Foundation hosted a conference on abortion in Egypt on 18 October 2009, addressing rates of abortion as well as religious and legal definitions of and attitudes toward abortion. Researchers offered analysis of abortion-related statistics. A forthcoming post will present findings and conclusions from the conference.

 

Upcoming Events

October 29: UN ESCWA Arab Forum on Social Policy. Hania Sholkamy will be presenting “Reforming the Social Protection System in Egypt“. Beirut, Lebanon

December 6: AUC Forum presents “Women and Political Participation“, at the American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt.

 

News Review

Asharq Alawsat, 24 October 2009, “This is the Saudi woman”

“This is the Saudi Woman” is an opinion piece written by Mshari al-Zaydi, Asharq Alawsat’s opinion page editor, about the history of women’s education in Saudi Arabia which lends itself to “natural” development in the field of women’s rights. He argues that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has supported the education of women and equal rights since the 1930’s while simultaneously highlighting the large discrepancy between the percentage of the Saudi population that is female (approximately 50%) and amount of women in the total workforce (10.25%). The author remarks that Saudi society  is subject to “laws and norms of natural development that apply to all societies,” further pronouncing that it was “natural” for “a strong return of women to society” to occur. Further discussion about what the author means or implies by “natural development” would make this piece much more compelling.

Al-Jazeera, 21 October 2009 , “Kuwaiti women win passport rights”

Following a petition by Fatima al-Baghli, a Kuwaiti woman, Kuwaiti courts have ruled that women may obtain passports without their husbands’ permission. This ruling repeals a former 1962 law stating that women must garner permission to travel from their husbands.

 

News Review

Asharq Al-Awsat, 29 September 2009, “Three Jordanians Kill Sister over “Bad Reputation”

Three Jordanian men have confessed to brutally murdering their sister and subsequently burning her body and home because of her ‘bad reputation.’  Their divorced sister was accused of having a lover affair with a man, causing her brothers to attack and stab her repeatedly. Honor killings account for the death of 15-20 women in Jordan each year and the Human Rights Watch has urged Jordan to reform its legal code which it claims does not sufficiently punish such honor crimes.

BBC News, 28 September 2009, “Egypt Anger over Virginity Faking“

In “Egypt Anger over Virginity Faking,” an Egyptian scholar condemns the import of device that emits a bloodlike substance that can be used for “faking” a woman’s virginity, as pre-marital sex is highly socially unacceptable in Egypt. The product which can be bought in parts of the Arab world, like Syria, for 15 USD, making it a cheap alternative to procedures like hymenoplasty.

BBC News, 10 June 2009, “Power of Women in Iran’s Elections“

In the “Power of Women in Iran’s Elections,” the recent elections in Iran have revealed a vibrant and active female Iranian population engaged in political process. The role and symbolism of Zhara Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Moussavi’s wife, in his campaign is explored as are the promises begin made to Iranian women as the elections proceded.

Institute of Development Studies, 25 May 2009, “Women at the Heart of Egypt’s First Conditional Cash Transfers Scheme“

IDS reports on the launch of Ain es-Sira pilot, a conditional cash transfer intiative coming out of the Pathways Middle East hub in Cairo, Egypt. A unique program in Egypt, the scheme is designed to provide low-income families with money in exchange for fulfilling certain conditional requirements (invovling school attendance, health care, etc.). The Ain es-Sira project involves innovative gender, health and education components that build on elements of CCT programs in Latin America and eslewhere.

 

News Review

BBC News, 17 May 2009, “Kuwait votes for first female MPs“

“Kuwait votes for first female MPs” details the admittance of four women to parliament after the right to vote and stand for parliament was extended to Kuwaiti women in 2005. One of the first tasks of the new parliament will be to vote on a large stimulus package to combat the current economic recession. Recent delays to development endeavors and stimulus spending has stranded Kuwait in a state of development stasis.

Daily News Egypt, Safaa Abdoun, 4 May 2009,  “Nadeem Center calls for an end to domestic violence against women“

The Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence based in Cairo, Egypt has called for a law that criminalizes violence against women. In concurrence with the campaign, the Nadeem Center released a study examining rates of domestic abuse in Egypt which have not declined, despite the increased efforts of the Egyptian government and NGOs. 

 

Mulki el Sharmani on Dutch Public Radio

Professor Mulki el Sharmani was interviewed along with a research participant by the Radio Netherlands Worldwide show, “The State We’re In”. This particular broadcast was themed “The Right to Divorce” and it highlighted three ways divorce is settled around the world.

The first guest, an openly gay Indian man, explained how he secured a divorce from his wife despite cultural taboos against homosexuality.

Mulki was then interviewed about khul, or no-fault divorce, in which the wife is granted a divorce without financial benefits. The guest was a divorced woman and a mother of 3 who described her husband as an intellectual and emotional mismatch. While the divorce was relatively seamless, the aftermath of facing her neighbors presented some challenges. The woman proudly proclaims her aspirations to be a singer–something she could not have pursued while married to her ex-husband.

The final section tells the story of an American divorce lawyer who specializes in ‘collaborative divorce’, a growing trend among Western couples seeking a fairer, calmer, and quicker way to split up.

The State We’re In radio programmes

 

May Events

This month, find information about conferences on social protection, gender and sexuality, and women’s empowerment.

6-7 May: Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies (IGWS) and South-South Exchange Programme for Research on the History of Development (SEPHIS) presents the Comparative Sexuality Studies in the Global South Workshop, Cairo, Egypt

25 May: Pathways of Women’s Empowerment-Cairo hosting an Exchange and Dialogue on the definitions and practices of gender equality and research based off Pathways work, Cairo, Egypt.

25-28 May: UN Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs is convening an expert Group Meeting Good practices in legislation to address harmful practices against women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Good practices meeting

 

Khede Kasra & Morocco’s Family Code

Khede Kasra Campaign
Khede kasra. Add the kasra! is a campaign to raise awareness about women’s issues in the Arab world. Designed as a grammatical pun, Khede kasra encourages Arabic speakers to intentionally genderize their speech. The posters, online community, and commercials advertising women’s empowerment in everyday life have taken off–merging pop culture with social activism. The campaign is headquartered in Lebanon, but reaches out to the entire Arab world.

Watch the You Tube video!
Khede Kasra video

Morocco’s Family Code, 5 Year’s Later
In a May 3rd article for the Common Ground News Service, a reporter analyzed the progress of Morocco’s 2004 changes to their half-century old family code, Moudawana. Five years ago, the updates were hailed as huge steps forward for the modern Moroccan family. Women are no longer required to obtain their father’s permission before marrying and wives are entitled to her husband’s assets in the event of a divorce. More women are presiding judges. Furthermore, polygamy became heavily restricted and underage marriage banned. But the rates of minor girls marrying increased particularly in rural areas in 2006 and 2007. Moroccan men and women still question their religious and cultural values protecting the traditional family structure in light of these judicial changes. A 2008 film, entitled “Number One”, brought some of these family and gender issues to the public. Time will tell if Morocco’s large youth population will change their expectations of marriage in line with the 2004 Moudawana progressive revisions. Perhaps, young Moroccan women will push for more.

Morocco’s Family Code article

 

Bi-Weekly News Review

Every two weeks, we will be posting relevant articles from news sources pertaining to Pathways ME research. We are especially interested in the cross-section of gender and poverty, social welfare, legal reforms, empowerment, and public policy. For further information about our research areas, visit www.pathwaysofempowerment.org. Here are several articles written in the past two months about CCTs, demographic trends in the Middle East, and the neurological implications of poverty.

◊ The Economist, 12 Feb 2009, “Quid Pro Quo: Anti-poverty programmes“.

“Quid Pro Quo” highlights the international popularity and undisputed efficacy of conditional cash transfer programs in improving school attendance and clinical visits for poor families. However, CCTs might not have an effect on school performance and nutrition overall.

*Note: Pathways’ Dr.  Hania Sholkamy and her team are coordinating Egypt’s first CCT pilot and will base their conditions on improving gender awareness, health, and education.

◊ The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Patrick Clawson, March 2009, “Demography in the Middle East: Population Growth Slowing, Women’s Situation Unresolved“.

“Demography in the Middle East” discusses the challenges the Middle East faces as it transitions to a period of lower fertility rates and grapples with an impending social security dilemma. Because of a massive population boom between the 1960s-80s, many countries in the Middle East are experiencing a job crisis for unemployed youth and will face an even bigger issue of caring for the elderly in the coming decades. These trends could negatively impact women’s ability to find jobs out of school, but it could also be a saving grace for governments if women are able to earn money to support the growing population of retirees.

◊The Economist, 2 Apr 2009, “I am just a poor boy though my story’s seldom told“. 

“I am just a poor boy…” describes the research findings of two Cornell University doctors from a study on poverty-induced stress and memory function during childhood and how these strains may be transmitted through generations. Based on previous scientific reports, the doctors found that children living in poverty had a lower capacity to store information short-term. They determined this was caused entirely by stress suggesting the continuation of poverty into adulthood increases the chances of stress damage to subsequent generations.