Bahrain

The study, A View of Bahraini Women's Political Stance, was made by Bahraini Nooh Khalifa, who is a renowned author and media expert. A total of 300 Bahraini women from different political backgrounds and age groups were surveyed. It was completed in around a year and revealed that a majority of voters have a positive opinion of women in power.

We invite our users to read the complete article published August 18 2013

Sameera Rajab is everything in person that you wouldn’t expect from an official government spokesperson in a Gulf country: she’s a woman, a mother of three girls, a Shiite, and the first cousin of Nabeel Rajab, one of the main opposition leaders against the system that she represents.

"He is my cousin from my mother’s and father’s side; that is very close," she says.

A special quota is needed to guarantee women's participation in municipal council and parliaments across the Arab world, a leading Bahraini lawyer said yesterday. Former United Nations (UN) General Assembly president Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al Khalifa did not specify what percentage of candidates should be female, but said the move was the only way to guarantee more equality in the region's politics.
To read the full article, please visit the Gulf Daily News' Website.

Fifty influential female and male leaders have formed a Middle East Gender Parity Group to tackle discrimination and close the gap between the sexes. Launched at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East in Sharm El Sheikh, the Forum’s Middle East Gender Parity Group is a multistakeholder community of 50 leaders – 25 women and 25 men – from business, politics, academic, media and civil society.
To read the full article, please visit the Trade Arabia's Website.

Just eight women ran in Bahrain’s first general election in 2002, and only one woman managed to secure a seat in the country’s fledgling parliament in 2006 after running unopposed. Dr. May al Otaibi, who works with the Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women, is working not necessarily to get “lots of females” on the ballot, but rather to support qualified, accomplished female leaders. One of the main issues is how to get more women to vote for women, which is attributed to social structures and religious attitudes.

Women in Bahrain have launched new initiatives to tackle sectarian tensions that emerged as the fallout of widespread unrest sweeping the country since Feb 14. The tiny island with oil incomes representing around 70 percent of government revenues was known for years for its peaceful coexistence between its majority Shiite and minority Sunni populations. The majority of those who participated in demonstrations before the declaration of the three-month state of emergency in March were Shiites. Sunnis were mainly involved in pro-government rallies.

16 Mar 2012 - The Arab Spring continues to blow winds of change in the Middle East. There is no doubt the direction these countries are heading in will affect Arab societies and personal rights. But recently, the focus has been on women in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.