Women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region face many of the same challenges as women around the world, including unequal citizenship and a lack of basic resources such as time and money. Exacerbating such challenges is the conservative nature of the region, making it particularly difficult for women to make the decision to openly participate in formal politics and to obtain the necessary public support to win.

Even so, more and more women of the MENA region are at a crossroads. Ongoing political changes are creating opportunities to gain greater political power and secure a stronger voice in their countries’ political processes. Though the region ranks near the bottom of international standards for women’s political participation, the percentage of women elected to parliaments has increased from 3 percent to 8 percent over the past decade. The 2005 legislative elections in Lebanon saw women’s representation in parliament double from three to six deputies, composing a legislative group of impressive diversity (four Christians and two Muslims). Potentially, this group can bridge the gap across sectarian lines to change traditional perceptions of women and to advance their political participation.

While remaining a controversial measure, quotas have resulted in some demonstrably positive advancements in the MENA region. For example, the Iraqi parliament established a 25 percent quota in 2005, requiring parties to place women in every third slot on their electoral lists and leading to the election of 70 women out of 275 representatives. Recent democratic reforms in Mauritania have resulted in a law requiring all political parties to ensure 20 percent of their electoral lists are women. After municipal and legislative elections in 2006 and senatorial elections in 2007, women make up approximately 30 percent of Mauritania’s National Assembly and more than 25 percent of the Senate.

Countries in the Gulf Region have attracted recent attention regarding women in politics. In May 2005, the Kuwaiti government passed legislation that gave women the right to vote and stand for election, leaving Saudi Arabia as the only country in the world where women cannot do either. Kuwaiti women exercised their newfound rights for the first time in snap parliamentary elections in June 2006. Though 28 women ran for office, and many had strong campaigns, none were elected in 2006; one woman, however, was appointed to the cabinet and became an ex-oficio member of parliament. Not only did the candidates have only five weeks to prepare for this poll, which did not give women sufficient time to mobilize their case for election, but also the debate focused primarily on the issues of corruption and constituency boundaries. Women are also beginning to make a political showing elsewhere in the sub-region: In Bahrain’s parliamentary elections in November 2006, one woman ran in her constituency unopposed and was elected to the 40-member parliament.

Women’s presence varies significantly, and many struggles lie ahead for women’s equal political participation in the MENA region. In the parliaments of Tunisia and Israel, for instance, women make up 19 percent of members; in Egypt’s parliament, women account for only 2 percent — and in Yemen, less than 1 percent. Still, women’s activism is sustaining a momentum that promises them a more prominent role in political leadership. As political reform takes hold, women will continue to rise as leaders of change and pioneers of a better, more inclusive political future.

Countries of the MENA region
Algeria
Bahrain
Egypt
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Morocco
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Yemen