Women's Rights In Morocco
Throughout our trip, we have been able to learn more about the culture and way of life in Morocco. The societal roles that each gender plays here have been very different from what I originally expected going into this trip. Given that Morocco is a majority Muslim country, I had a lot of preconceived conations about the role that women would play for their families. In more conservatism Muslim countries, women’s rights are limited by the laws of the countries more than men's. In countries like Saudi Arabia women could not even drive until recently. This is almost night and day compared to Morocco where women can be found in almost every industry and in positions of power. In Rabat, we learned that women make up around 25% of the country’s parliament. Universities in Morocco tend to be evenly split between men and women but leaned towards more women enrolled. We learned during the presentation at AIU that this is mainly due to Moroccan families choosing to send their sons to school aboard but not their daughters. Regardless of this decision, it is evident from what we learned during our tours that Universities in Morocco provide and strong and rigorous education.
When we visited the IBerry packaging plant I thought it was interesting to see the jobs that women held compared to the men. Each area of the process was made up almost exclusively of one gender depending on what the job entitled. On the farm level for fruits, most of the manual work was headed by men while we did learn that women were the ones to pick the fresh fruits. In the packaging facility, I noticed that most of the office jobs were done by women whereas jobs in the warehouse were split between men and women depending on the labor intensity. Overall, I was very impressed with the equality between genders in Morocco. It amazed me how progressive the country is in women’s rights, and feels like a place that is trying to help women become leaders in their country
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jacob, for your blog on women's rights in Morocco.
I can only agree with what you point out in your post about Morocco, compared to other Muslim-dominant countries, which Can arguably be considered one of the most liberal in the Islamic world. Most countries under Islamic law have dress codes for women, such as the Port of Hijab.
On our tour in Casablanca and Rabat, I observed what women wore like others in the Western world: pants, tights, mini-skirts, etc.
It is essential to know that the 25 % representation of women in the Morocco parliament comes with years of considerable reforms to empower women.
Some articles I read researching Morocco stated that in the past two decades, morocco progressively made policy changes to engage more women in all political positions; for example, in 2002, they had what they called an 'honorary agreement' reserving 30 seats in parliament for women; in 2003 a quota reform for local governments, and in 2011 the legalization of the quota provision and the increase from 30 to 60 seats for women. These reforms show how the kingdom of Morocco is deeply engaged in changing the lives of citizens by empowering women through education and political engagement.
Great post Jacob! I think that the chaning of preconcived notions is an important reason that we are here. I think that your observations are on point. This trip has opened my eyes on many things. I hope that in the future that I can experience more cultures throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteJake, I found it promising to see women in more front-facing roles than I initially anticipated before coming to Morocco. There has been an intentional effort to promote women’s rights in Morocco (Chekroumi & El Mquirmi). The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, recognizing women as integral to resolving conflict and negotiating peace. Although sex relations are still guided by traditions and religion, women have been an integral part of agricultural, political, and economic development in Morocco. Do you think religion and gender equity will become less intertwined as more modern and global ideas emerge in the future?
ReplyDeleteChekrouni, N., & El Mquirmi, N. Morocco and the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda: Goals,
Opportunities and Challenges.