Dear Andrea,
with both municipal and parliamentary elections taking place in Jordan this year and with the recent implementation of women's quotas at both of these levels, Jordan is one country that is worth paying close attention to. The 2007 elections will prove to me a milestone in Jordanian women's pursuit of political strength. UNIFEM has some good publications to look at in terms of Jordanian women's status and political empowerement. These can be found on this same iKnow politics site in the Middle East region page under Jordan.

Good Luck!
Roula

Hello Andrea,
if you have not already come across this book - before going into the plight of women in the Middle East, I believe one must understand the politics of the Middle East:

Robert Fisk: The Great War for Civilisation
The Conquest of the Middle East
ISBN 1-84115-008-8

You'll see a pattern develop over the decades - from Nazi Germany to Palestine to Algeria to Palestine to Iran to Iraq...

Terrifying - but also a terrific account free of partisan politics.

Maya

Administrator
FairTradeNet Association
6, chemin de Pomone, La Chapelle
1228 GENEVA - Switzerland

Dear all,

I think the following articles and publications can be of interest to this group:
Articles

1. http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=70603
This article discusses the issues around illiteracy of womeni in Iraq's Kurdistan and how it affects their lives and social status.

2. http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70554
This article about female victims of conflict in Palestine.

3. http://www.bitterlemons-international.org/previous.php?opt=1&id=95
This is a compilation of comments of women leaders from the Middle East on such issues as the participation of women in politics, women's marginalization in political life and existing stereotypes and expectations of the women leaders in the MENA region.

On-line Reports

1. Genre et Gouvernance. Analyse des comportements politiques des hommes et des femmes au Maroc. Author: Benradi Malika. 2002.
http://www.ipu.org/bdf-e/reports/2409.htm
This analysis demonstrates the inequalities in political rights between women and men in Morocco.

2. Final Report on the Palestinian Legislative Council Elections. Publisher: NDI. 2006. http://www.accessdemocracy.org/library/2068_ps_elect_012506.pdf
The report contains an interesting section about the women's participation in the elections.

3 Building Democracy in Jordan: Women's Political Participation, Political Party Life and Democratic Elections. Publisher: IDEA. 2005
http://idea.int/publications/dem_jordan/index.cfm
This report discusses the political situation and reforms in Jordan and their impact on the participation of women in politics and civil society.

4. Building Democracy in Yemen: Women's Political Participation, Political Party Life and Democratic Elections. Publisher: IDEA. 2005
http://idea.int/publications/dem_yemen/index.cfm
This report discusses the political situation and reforms in Yemen and their impact on the participation of women in politics and civil society.

Books

1. Women in the Middle East: Past and Present
Author: Nikki R. Keddie / Hardcover / Princeton University Press / November, 2006

2. Women in Islam and the Middle East: A Reader
Author: Ruth Roded / Paperback / I. B.Tauris & Company, Limited / June, 2006

3. Resistance, Repression, And Gender Politics in Occupied Palestine and Jordan
Author:Frances S. Hasso/Paperback/Syracuse University Press/ November, 2005

4. Women and Power in the Middle East
Editor: Suad Joseph / Paperback / University of Pennsylvania Press / December, 2000

Dear Andrea
There is a lot going on in the region, but I think the situation in Iran is particularly interesting.
You should take a look at the case study on iran that is on the Initiative for Inclusive Security Website -it provides a good history of women's activism and involvement - more recently women have been among the most vocal sectors against the closure of public and civil space for political activism and fighting for equality. They have formed a coalition across political ideologies in a campaign to collect a million signatures in support of an end to discrmiinatory gender based laws (those against women and against men). This has huge political significance, because the issue of women is central to the ideology of the regime. So if they succeed they would be challenging the state. That is why the state is coming down so hard on them.

Also another point worth noting - we hypothesize that women are less violent than men when dealing with conflict. But it is hard to prove this overtly as most conflicts are against identity groups and women's activism is mixed in with the mainstream (and often overlooked or undermined). Iran offers a very interesting case study - where women as a sector of society have been the target of discrimination for 30 years. They have resisted, opposed and struggled to regain rights they had in the past. If an ethnic or religous group had been treated in the same way, chances are they would have entered some form of armed opposition by now.Women have done so non violently at all times. It is a slow process, but with depth and evident in every sphere - social, political, education, health etc., even economic (tho' they are still behind in the job market). They have succeeded in changing mindsets and attitudes which are often the hardest and deepest cultural barriers. People talk of the progress and impact of women as a river that is unstoppable.
It is evident in many ways. Laws say that girls can be married at 13 - in reality average age of marriage is 22 (or so), birth rates per woman are down to less than 2 nationally. Some 67% of university students were female (the new govt is trying to put quotas in place). The legally-imposed hejab (how women have used it and abused it)is another important indicator. Their challenge is international isolation.

I'll stop here, but all in all, it is a very important place to watch.

Andrea,

The iKNOW Politics Resource Library contains the following resources that might be helpful for your work:

1. Electoral Processes in Selected Countries of the Middle East

2. Women And Chambers of Commerce: Cases from the Gulf

3. Ten Years After Beijing: The Role and Contribution of the Arab NGOs

You can find these and many other interesting resources searching through the database of our library at http://iknowpolitics.org/en/taxonomy_menu/4

Best Regards,

Bahar

Dear Andrea,
Thank you for visiting the iKNOW Politics website and contributing to our discussion circles. You have posted a very interesting and relevant question on the status of women in politics in the Middle East. For more information, please visit our Middle East and North Africa Region page at http://www.iknowpolitics.org/en/taxonomy_menu/1/72

On this page, you will find the background information and description of current developments regarding the women's political participation in the MENA region. You can also find a number of resources published by leading international organizations on the status of women in politics and recent political reforms implemented in the region.

Best Regards,

Bahar