CAES Morocco: Advanced Leadership Theories, Ethics, and Culture

            Before we started our journey in Morocco, I was curious about the gender roles within Moroccan society and if women were treated equal to their male counterparts. I had heard rumors about the “Muslim way” of treating women as property to be owned; In all reality, I soon learned that is the farthest thing from the truth. I believe that most Americans have a very skewed view of Islamic cultures and their beliefs because of our limited view of radical groups loosely connected to the religion. While the common stereotype I had heard was proven to be vastly blown out of proportion, I did learn that the gender roles they live by are fairly different than our own.  When visiting ag operations across the country, I noticed Moroccan culture has specific roles for each gender within the labor/service sectors. Focusing on agriculture, I surprisingly found that about 57% of the agriculture labor force is female (1994). In these roles, they empha...

 Morocco faces considerable obstacles in its social mobility because of structural impediments and deeply ingrained social inequality. According to the Global Social Mobility Index,  social mobility ranking of 73rd out of 82 countries highlights enduring barriers to advancement that are made worse by differences in access to opportunities for both education and work. Socioeconomic position has a significant impact on access to high-quality education, with private education being mostly available to the wealthier classes.  During visits to institutions like the École Nationale d'Administration (ENA), students revealed that many peers choose to enter the workforce directly rather than pursue higher education.  This decision is frequently the result of financial strains and the  immediate need to find employment after high school.   According to experts and numerous studies, disparities in educational opportunities in Morocco start early, even before pri...