Women in the Maghreb: civil society's actors or political instruments?
Middle East Policy › Vol. 14 Nbr. 4, December 2007
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Women in the Maghreb: civil society's actors or political instruments?
It is impossible to discuss democratization, human development and human rights anywhere in the world without including the role of women. Before evaluating it in the Maghrebi countries, it is important to point out that female representation in public life (governments, parliaments, civil society, economic enterprises, etc.) is a universal issue. With the exception of some Scandinavian countries, almost all countries lack significant female representation at most levels of society. Nevertheless, 2005 marked a new record of accomplishment for women politically: one out of five parliamentarians elected in 2005 was a woman? In ten countries (Rwanda, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Andorra, Burundi, Iraq, New Zealand and the United Republic of Tanzania), more than 30 percent of those either elected or returned to parliament were women. However, while some developing countries in Africa and Latin America (Honduras, Venezuela, Argentina and Bolivia) are progressing, little progress can be noted in the Arab world. (3) Arab countries demonstrated the lowest increase in female political participation (2.5 percent) between 1995 and 2005; this anemic progress was due to the quotas imposed in some countries, such as Morocco and Tunisia.
The perception of women's issues in North Africa is often linked to several well-spread prejudices related to history, culture and religion. The Western media focus on discrimination, violence, the veil and polygamy, which they attribute to so-called religious barriers and the patriarchal system. (4) Consequently, Western public opinion has developed negative stereotypes of Muslim women. But the Maghreb is a developing region, in direct touch with Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This crossroads position prevents the Maghrebi countries from remaining static. As a result, they are undergoing political, economic and cultural changes. Women's issues must, then, be included in the framework of these sociopolitical changes, sometimes called "transition." Under what circumstances will social changes occur? For some analysts, deep change comes from social ways of thinking. For example, Malek Bennabi, an Algerian intellectual reformist, focused his studies on the belief systems that allow societies to resist external domination and develop their own capacities for development. (5) The Mulsim Brotherhood movements think that a country as a whole cannot change if the social base does not change first. (6) This kind of change is progressive and includes all social actors and spheres. Because this process is lengthy, other analysts recommend change from the top. In this framework, the ruling elites have to create the changing dynamic and push the society to evolve. (7) Yahya Sadowski calls for abandoning "the quest for the mysterious 'essences' that prevent democratization in the Middle East and focus instead on the practical itemization of the forces that promote or delay this process." (8) The Latin American experiences can provide examples of how transitions "from the top down" can be implemented. (9) What is the role of women in this transition process? Are they leading this process or being drawn along by it? ACTORS IN COMBAT Maghrebi women are present in a variety of political, economic and social secto...See the full content of this document
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