Women in the Middle East are slowly seeking ways to be incorporated in the application of the teachings and prescribed behaviors that govern their Islamic way of life. Islam is an Arabic word meaning to surrender or submission to Allah or God, and is a way of life (Moran, Abramson, Moran, p. 298). Women are expected to be submissive to their husbands, or the male in the dominant role. However, in modern day, there are several driving forces that are promoting positive change for women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
- Increased access to education
- Advocating for women’s rights to improve women’s social and legal rights
- Increased private wealth and ownership resulting from inheritance
- Women entrepreneurs are creating new employment opportunities
- Job creation for a growing labor force
As Dr. Fatima Mernissi stated, “The whole Muslim system is based on the assumption that the woman is a powerful and dangerous being (Moran, Abramson, Moral, p. 320). Breaking the glass ceiling brings new meaning to women in many of the countries that comprise the Middle East. Middle Eastern women have a greater barrier to achieving leadership roles than traditional Western hurdles such as position pigeonholes, pay gaps, exclusivity, limited access to information, contacts and networking, training opportunities and risky assignments. Until recently, contemplating how to balance work and life outside of work wasn’t a great concern for middle eastern women.
The following is a glorified Hollywood video that exhibits the women’s commitment to honoring cultural tradition in a Middle East country (Smackouse, 2010.):
Although highly commercialized for film entertainment, this excerpt is indicative of the commitment to living the cultural tradition. An additional video below, depicts the reaction to haram actions (Marlon, 2017).
So how are some of these powerful women overcome some of the cultural barriers to becoming entrepreneurs? It seems like there are “work-a-rounds” that are finding success for women such as Lamia Bouteleg, female co-founder of investment bank Capital Trust. Instead of social networking, which is not widely accepted for women, she’s found success by scheduled appointments during traditional working hours. Another successful entrepreneur manufactures goods at home, with the help of women she has hired, and created as successful export business. Others have found ease in leadership roles with the backing of their male family members.
It will be interesting to see in the coming decades how women in the Middle Eastern countries continue to promote change within their social, economic and cultural communities. The world can only stand to benefit from the inclusion of women.
References:
Brandon, Marlon. (2017, February 27). Sex and the city 2 “do’s and don’ts” controversy/ sneaking burkas. [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nARIWPNg6mM
How women entrepreneurs are driving business in the Middle East. (2010, December 28). Retrieved from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-women-entrepreneurs-are-driving-business-in-the-middle-east/
Moran, R.T., Abramson, N. R. & Moran, S.V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. (9th ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
Roudi-Fahimi, F. & Moghadam, V. (2003, November 20). Empowering women developing society: Female education in the Middle East and North Africa. Retrieved from empoweringwomendevelopingsocietyfemaleeducationinthemiddleeastandnorthafrica
Smackouze. [Extrait du film Sex and the city 2 VO.] (2010, November 14). Extrait burqa [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxjmaIqZY5M.
mmi5072 says
The Middle East is evolving, albeit slowly, with regards to women’s rights. While this evolution is empowering women, some may struggle with the idea of straying from the traditional patriarchal norms of Islamic culture. However, Glas, Spierings and Scheepers theorize that ” religious socialization may be gendered and particularly women may be more inclined to make up their own minds on gender equality and religion and that sociocognitive empowerment may equip people to agentically deviate from patriarchal religious interpretations.” (2018). This means that people may interpret and view religious teachings differently. Women can still remain true to their faith while embracing their power and individuality.
In Saudi Arabia, they have lifted the ban on women traveling abroad so that women can move about more freely. (Alexander, 2019). However, in Iran, “several women have faced arrest for peacefully protesting mandatory hijab laws.” (Begum, 2018). It is a slow and uphill battle in the male-dominated Middle East but progress is being made and that is always a good thing.
Works Cited
Alexander, C. (2019). On women’s rights, uneven progress in the middle east. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-womens-rights-uneven-progress-in-the-middle-east/2019/08/02/23690eda-b549-11e9-acc8-1d847bacca73_story.html
Begum, R. (2018). The middle east’s women are championing their own change. The New Arab. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/03/07/middle-easts-women-are-championing-their-own-change#
Glas, S., Spierings, N. & Scheepers, P. (2018). Re-understanding religion and support for gender equality in Arab countries. Gender & Society. 32:5. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0891243218783670