Women In Arab Society Research Articles

Silent Struggles: The Subjugation of Women in Arab Society Explored through Woman at Point Zero

In her works Nawal El Sadawi has depicted the patriarchal society of the Arab world. The women are not given the same opportunities as men rather they are subjugated and tortured both mentally and physically by the men. This article explores the marginalization of the women in Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Sadawi highlighting the tools through which the women are suppressed in society for example; bride price, Female Genital Mutilation, deprivation of education etc. Through the life story of Firdaus, the sufferings of the women in an Arab world are underlined. Power politics plays a major role behind the quest of man to acquire ‘money, sex and power’ over women.

Arab women and the sociocultural challenges of globalization

Arab women today face many socio-cultural challenges imposed by globalization and the wave of cultural and social openness to Western models in Arab societies in light of the current changes that prevail in the world today, imposed by Western countries on the rest of the countries, and marketed to them for the purpose of emulating them, and implanting them in societies contrary to them in Values, beliefs, morals, customs, etc., and are often not suitable for the Arab environment, and are not acceptable in terms of form or content . Therefore, the research deals with identifying the sociocultural challenges of globalization facing women in Arab societies in terms of their manifestations and repercussions to her.

Beauty and the Patriarchy: Ibtisam Mara'ana's Lady Kul El-Arab (2008)

ABSTRACT: Leveraging the discourse of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Ibtisam Ma'arana uses the vehicle of the beauty pageant to consider the pressures on Arab and Druze women in Israeli society. In her documentary Lady Kul El-Arab (2008) she follows Druze Duah Fares as she participates in a small regional Arab contest and then competes in the national Miss Israel event. While the coverage of beauty competitions and the conventions of films and television programs about them have long considered the tension between female self-empowerment and exploitation, this film disrupts the usual narrative, instead drawing greater attention to nationalism and the identity politics which pageants signify. When Fares is forbidden to participate, Mara'ana shows how patriarchal structures employ modes of control and oppression, including threats of ostracization, violence and murder (under the guise of honor killings) to enforce women's submission. As a public and political figure, who has used her own positionality as a Palestinian woman and Israeli citizen to criticize both Israeli authorities and the treatment of women in Arab society, Mara'ana is implicated in the film. This connection is further cemented when she becomes the family's spokesperson three years after the release of the documentary when Fare's sister Jamila (known as Maya) is killed. This article explores the overlapping conflicts that emerge when a woman from a conservative society participates in a pageant and the particular situation of a Druze woman in Israel as depicted in Mara'ana's documentary.

РОЗВИТОК БАГАТОСТОРОННЬОГО МІЖДЕРЖАВНОГО СПІВРОБІТНИЦТВА ЩОДО ГЕНДЕРНИХ ПИТАНЬ НА БЛИЗЬКОМУ СХОДІ (КІНЕЦЬ ХХ – ПОЧАТОК ХХІ СТ.)

The article attempts to analyze the development of forms and manifestations of multilateral intergovernmental cooperation on gender issues in the Middle East at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century. The Middle East region, in religious and civilizational dimensions, is quite specific in terms of the comprehensive implementation of the ideas of feminism and overcoming gender gaps. However, as a result of the study, the effectiveness of the region’s involvement in both global initiatives on gender issues and the formation of its own mechanisms and tools for the protection of women was revealed, which is implemented in the following practical acts. Firstly, the involvement of the Middle East region as an object of activity of the United Nations Structure for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (“UN-Women”) aimed at protecting women in conflicts and granting equal rights to women alongside men. Secondly, the formation of a regulatory framework and programs on gender issues in the activities of the regional organization  the League of Arab States (LAD). It was found that the existing mechanism of intergovernmental cooperation in the LAD regarding the implementation of gender equality and the role of women in Arab society is not sufficiently effective, given the advisory nature of the organization’s decisions, and it is not sufficiently implemented in practice by all Middle Eastern states. It should be stressed on the positive and fruitful activity of the Arab Women Organization, which has a number of programs for the protection of Arab women and their rights. Thirdly, the dialogue between the Middle East and North Africa in the format of the MENA region is quite developed – the holding of African-Arab summits between the African Union and the League of Arab States, launched in 1977, which are aimed at jointly solving gender issues. The authors concluded that the Middle East region still has to overcome a number of barriers and domestic policy changes to protect women’s rights, but the initiation and development of dialogue on a multilateral basis is a positive step in achieving global trends in ensuring gender equality and feminism in general.

The Role of Teachers in Developing Students’ Science Creative Thinking Skills in Jordan and Sultanate of Oman

The study aimed to identify the degree to which science teachers developed school students’ creative thinking skills in Jordan and Sultanate of Oman. It also aimed to find out if the teachers’ role in developing school students’ creative thinking skills differed as per their work place (Jordan and Oman) and whether or not there were statistically significant differences at the significance level (0.05=α) in the teachers’ role in developing school students’ creative thinking skills from the perspective of teachers attributed to the variable of teaching experience. To achieve the study objectives, the descriptive survey approach was used through developing a questionnaire with 31 statements which was distributed to a sample of 140 teachers teaching science to grades 4 to 8 in public schools in Jordan and Sultanate of Oman in the academic year 2021 – 2022. 5- point Likert scale was used to analyze the data collected. The findings showed that primary education science teachers practiced creative thinking skills with their students to a high degree as the mean of their responses to the questionnaire statements was 3.43 with a standard deviation 1.12. There were no statistically significant differences in the science teachers’ response means in Jordan and Oman. However, there were statistically significant differences at the significance level (0.05=α) in the teachers’ response means in favor of the female teachers whose response mean was 4.25 which was higher than the male teachers’ response mean which was 3.35. This result might be attributed to a number of factors such as women in Arab societies try to prove themselves and try to prove that they are more distinguished than men. In light of the findings, the study recommended adopting teaching strategies that develop students’ creative thinking skills, supporting teachers who develop these skills and generalizing these findings to other educational stages.

قبل از اسلام عرب سماج میں عورت کا مقام اور نکاح: ایک تحقیقی مطالعہ The Status of a Woman in the Pre- Islamic Arab Society and Nikah (Matrimony): A Research Study

The family system is a rising concern in society. As we know that family system is the backbone and structural unit of society. The purpose of this study is to investigate the pre-Islamic family system and the Nikah system in Arab society. Using cross-sectional analysis, this study analyzed those norms and rituals which were in practice in an era of pre-Islamic Arab Society. The first part deals with the maltreatment of women in Arab society. It throws light on the conservative mindset of pre-Islamic Arab people about women. It also shows the patriarchal aspect of that society. The second part of the article deals with the concept of Nikah in Arab Society. This part elaborates on different types of Nikah as well. The study definitively answers the question regarding family systems and the transmission of Arab society's family system to the Nikah system.

“I’ll Dance for You, I’ll Dance for Me, I’ll Dance for the Sake of Dancingˮ

Abstract This article examines ʿAtaba thaqīlat al-rūḥ (“Threshold of heavy spirit,” 2011), a novel by the new generation West Bank writer Māyā Abū l-Ḥayāt, who is considered one of the prominent new generation Palestinian West Bank writers, in which diverse and unique use of a dance motif is found. The article reviews the history of dance in Arab society and the meanings that it had in the past and currently has in Arab society and culture. It illustrates how Abū l-Ḥayāt uses each of these meanings throughout her novel in order to reveal the female soul and the status of women in Arab society. The article shows how Abū l-Ḥayāt incorporates this motif into her novel in a unique and original way, thus exposing woman’s yearning for freedom, creating a new feminine language and undermining accepted norms.

The Status of the Arab Women in Israel: Trends, Changes and Factors

The term “the Arab society in Israel” represents about one-fifth of the country’s population, with about 80% of the population being Muslim, 12% Christian, and 9% Druze. This is a traditional society, based on the definition of the complex family and the place of each member in this family. The roles reserved for women within this society, especially among Muslims, are domestic roles, linked to marriage and children, the maintenance of the home, and rarely leaving it (Fichtelberg, 2004). Despite the advancement of the status of women in Israel in general, and women in Arab society in particular, they are still women who are in a weakened position, who fall victim to violence within the family, including by the spouse (Zaatut & Haj-Yahia, 2016) and are in a status of women who do not work, study or are in any kind of training (NEET) (Haj-Yahya, Schnell, & Khattab, 2018). However, this situation is gradually changing. In this article, we will discuss a number of changes in the status and beliefs of Arab women in Israel, as well as known factors affecting the existing situation and the possibility of changing it.

20. Yüzyılın İlk Yarısında Lübnan’da Arap Milliyetçiliğinin Edebiyatçı ve Çevirmen Önderlerinden Birisi: Flîks Fâris

Arap çeviri tarihinde bireysel bir bilimsel etkinlik olarak görülen çevirinin devlet politikası kabul edildiği, devlet tarafından teşvik edilerek desteklendiği, bunun da ötesinde çevirmenlerin siyasi otorite tarafından yönlendirildiği iki dönem vardır. Bunlardan birincisi Abbasi halifelerinden 2. Mansur döneminde başlatılan ve Me’mun döneminde zirveye ulaşarak kurumsallaşan dönemdir. Bu dönemin çevirileri genellikle tıp, kozmografya, mühendislik ve mantık ile ilgili olup, daha çok Farsça ve Sanskritçe gibi ara dil üzerinden Arapçaya yapılmıştır. Bu nedenle dönemi felsefi-tıbbî çeviri dönemi olarak isimlendirebiliriz. İkinci dönem 1773 yılında Katolik Hıristiyan grupların Fransa’dan Lübnan’a göç ederek, burada birçok okul kurmalarıyla başlayıp Kavalalı Mehmet Ali Paşa’nın Mısır valiliği döneminde (1805-1848) zirveye ulaşan dönemdir. Avrupa üniversitelerinin ders kitaplarının ve mühendislik bilimlerinin Arapçaya çevirisine ağırlık verildiği bu dönemi de bilimsel çeviri dönemi olarak isimlendirebiliriz. 1850’lı yıllarda Batıda dil ve çeviri eğiti alarak ülkelerine dönen burslu öğrencilerin Avrupa ülkelerinde tanıdıkları öykü, hikâye, roman, masal, tiyatro, anı, seyahatname gibi edebi türleri Arapçaya çevirmeleriyle başlayan dönemi de edebi çeviri dönemi olarak isimlendirebiliriz. Bu dönemde çevrilen eserler öncelikli olarak özgürlük, eşitlik ve kardeşlik temalarını ele alarak Fransız ihtilalini Arap ülkelerine yaymayı hedeflediğinden bu dönemi ideolojik çeviri dönemi olarak adlandırmak da mümkündür. 1882 Lübnan doğumlu Flîks Fâris edebi/ideolojik çeviri döneminin önde gelen temsilcilerinden birisidir. Şair, hatip, yazar, çevirmen ve hukukçu birisidir. Arap olmasına karşın İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyetinin Lübnan sorumlusudur. Osmanlı devletinin Lübnan’ı idaresine şiddetle karşı çıkmış, bu uğurda başta gazete ve dergiler olmak üzere edebiyat mahfilleri, gizli cemiyetler ve masonik yapılanmalarla omuz omuza mücadele ederek, Suriye ve Lübnan’da Osmanlı karşıtı bir Arap milliyetçilik akımının başlaması ve Arap ulus devlet anlayışın gelişmesi için elinden gelini yapmıştır.

Female Arab faculty staff in the Israeli academy: Challenges and coping strategies

This paper traced the paths of 14 Arab women who have managed to forge their way to senior teaching and administrative posts in the “ivory tower” of academic institutions; women who serve as models to empower future generations of Arab society in Israel. Qualitative methodology was chosen, employing semi-structured in-depth interviews to elicit testimony from female Arab academics concerning their socio-cultural experiences on their path towards and in their academic faculty posts. A deep observation of the challenges that these women encounter, reveals that although blocks to a career are encountered by more women in developing societies with a patriarchal structure, Arab women in Israel are excluded from academic career building in three dimensions: as women in Arab society, which restricts their appearance and advancement to senior posts in the public space, as members of a minority society largely excluded from the institutions of the majority society and as Arab minority women attempting to gain posts in Israeli academic institutions, which see themselves as serving the Jewish nation building project often to the detriment of Arab scholars. Thus "breaking the glass ceiling" involves a complicated and difficult struggle for Arab women who wish to gain academic posts in Israel. Those who succeed are able to reinforce their personal, professional and gender identity and empower their leadership and commitment to improving the status of Arab women, while often creating a hybrid identity.

Postpartum Depression Among Arab Women in Israel: Comparing Traditional and Modernized Women in a Traditional Society

The objective of this study was to understand how Arab women in Israel experience one of the most significant transitions in their lives, pregnancy and childbirth, who have undergone transitions toward modernity in their traditional society. The study included questionnaire to determine whether each woman has more traditional or modernized tendencies within the traditional Arab society. The study included 202 women, After the women expressed their willingness to participate in the study, five sessions were held: Immediately after marriage – modernization questionnaire, During the last two months of pregnancy – EPDS questionnaire, During the final month of pregnancy – EPDS questionnaire, After on one month of the delivery- EPDS questionnaire and After six months of the delivery- EPDS questionnaireIt clearly revealed a modernization trend among Arab women in Israel. This study found that 12% to 15% of the sample suffered from PPD. It showed that modern women suffered from more severe depression after delivery than their traditional peers did. Nearly all the women diagnosed with PPD were closer to the modern end of the spectrum. When symptoms were discovered in traditional women, the changes in their behavior appeared to be more of an overall conclusion of this study.This study emphasizes the need for intervention programs to support the changes that women in Arab society in Israel are undergoing. The findings enable the early detection of the population at risk for PPD.

The exclusion of young Arab women from work, education and training in Israel

Arab women’s NEET behavior should be understood in the context of the transition of Arab society from a patriarchal to a modern one. The study is based on intensive open interviews with 40 young women aged 18–30 concerning their struggle for self-fulfilment as women in Arab society. The study’s novel aspect is its focus on women’s perspective on their situation and on the strategies used by them in consolidating their status in the family and society. The fact that more than half of the women between the ages of 18 and 22 are defined as NEET is explained by a gender struggle between women who have adopted modern expectations for self-fulfillment and their male chauvinist milieus. The study has identified five strategies adopted by Arab women: identification with the patriarchy; surrender; constraint; compromise; and career oriented. The vast majority of women engage in a bitter struggle and most of them feel that they were forced to give up their teenage dreams.

Status of Women in Arab society in Pre and Post Islamic period

Before the advent of Islam, world was filled with darkness and humanity was dislocated. Under these circumstances in the Arab world no one can comprehend each other. By hook or by crook wealthy people ruled the poor. The Poor were weak and considered rightful for punishment. They were subservience to the ruling class. Inspite of her frailty women situation was awful and being treated badly in all her relationship as mothers, sister, daughter and wives. In this article I have written about the situation of women before the advent of Islam and depict the status and value of women after Islam that how Islam raises women's position as a mother, sister, daughter and wife and as a human. Islam declared women's rights, her respect and her importance.

Students’ Perceptions of Mental Health Counseling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Counseling services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have focused on counseling in the elementary and secondary schools. To date, the idea of the private practitioner of mental health counseling has been virtually nonexistent. However, education officials at the University of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been exploring the option of following the international trends of preparing students for mental health counseling services, with special emphasis in marriage and family. A counselor education degree would allow individuals to operate private practices to address various concerns that impact individuals within the society at large. No instruments that measure perceptions of counseling from an international perspective were found for the purposes of this study. Therefore, it was necessary for the authors to devise and test a new tool. Surveys were completed by a sample of 141 undergraduate students regarding their perceptions of the importance of counseling in UAE society and the role of the counselor in society and other general questions regarding perceptions of counseling. With this initial effort, psychometric properties of the ‘Perceptions about Counseling Survey’ appeared promising. Results revealed that students had a favorable view toward the role of the counselor in UAE society. Results further revealed that students perceived the counseling profession as favorable. Given that the participants were predominately female, the results were analyzed from the social and cultural perspective of women in Arab society and the social psychological theory of ‘attitude’ is considered as a contextual backdrop.

Women, work, and Islam in Arab societies

PurposeThis paper attempts to present varying discourses pertaining to women's work and how it is impacted by interpretations of Islam.Design/methodology/approachCurrent discourses from various viewpoints are presented including Muslim scholars on the one hand and active feminists on the other. Personalities are presented as being representative of the debate that has been going on pertaining to women in Arab societies.FindingsAttempts that aim at categorizing Arab thought and activism into two camps, one is religious‐based adverse to women's causes, and the other being secular and supportive of their causes does not present a candid depiction of the different forces.Research limitations/implicationsPersonalities chosen represent specific case studies that, although thought to be representative, cannot realistically reflect all the multitudes of views expressed pertaining to the issues discussed. Future studies may cover other relevant personalities in the region.Practical implicationsDeveloping the status of women in Arab societies requires a major reassessment of Muslim history and traditions. The dialogue and debates going on among religious scholars and feminists should be continuously communicated, discussed and exposed. Readers and mangers would benefit from understanding the complexity of issues and diversity of views presented.Originality/valueThis paper offers a window into the world of women's work and participation in Arab societies and how such participation is impacted by Islam, or its interpretations thereof. In addition to the English sources, this paper offers an opportunity for the reader to get a glimpse of the debate that has been going on in Arabic (especially when it comes to the little known religious discourse).

Legal and Practical Aspects of Participation by Women in Arab Societies

Many Arab and Muslim countries have a long history of women’s activism.Depending on location and historical moment, women activists have drawninspiration from a wide array of sources, including both religious and seculardiscourses. In all cases, however, one main issue is how legal systemsand processes of legal reform on the one hand, and social relations andeveryday life on the other hand, relate to each other.At this conference, held in The Hague, The Netherlands, on March 4-5, 2004, the tensions between legal systems and social life were discussed.The conference was organized by the Arabic Dutch Women Circle (ANVK)in cooperation with the municipality of The Hague and the InternationalDialogues Foundation (IDF). The ANVK is a Dutch non-profit organizationdedicated to promoting cultural exchange between Dutch and Arabsocieties, and, in particular, between Dutch and Arab women. The ANVKorganizes conferences, meetings, debates, and exhibitions to stimulate dialogueand exchange.Among other things, the conference sought to clarify that class, ethnicity,political system, history, and cultural factors are of wider influence thanjust law or religious factors themselves. The constitutions of almost allArab and Muslim countries proclaim equal rights for all, regardless of race,sex, language, and religion. However, the implementation of these rights isoften a problem. By inviting a group of women activists and academicsfrom the Middle East, as well as representatives of various sectors of Dutchsociety and of the Arab and Muslim communities in The Netherlands, theconference also aimed at stimulating discussion about Arab women’s rightsand practices.The conference was chaired by Professor Annelies Moors, chair of theInternational Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM)at the University of Amsterdam. The first day was open to the general publicand consisted of a plenary session in which four papers were presented, ...

Attitudes towards women who work in Egypt

This study investigates Egyptian society’s attitudes towards women who work held by a sample of 217 participants. The subjects completed the newly developed multidimensional aversion to women who work scale (MAWWWS). The study validates the scale in a non‐western context. The results reveal that, contrary to our expectation, Egyptian students have very similar attitudes towards women who work to those of the older generations. There are significant differences between males’ and females’ perceptions towards women’s roles and participation in society. The study predicts that modernity may diminish patriarchal attitudes towards women in Arab societies. Finally, the study detects no significant difference between Muslims and non‐Muslims in Egypt regarding their attitudes towards women who work.

Analytical study of women’s participation in economic activities in Arab societies

Outlines important changes in the role of women in Arab societies, particularly in urban areas. Considers what factors impede or contribute to women’s work in all economic sectors in an attempt to explain and determine the relationship between their activities and social, educational, economic, cultural and health factors. Suggests that findings are related to family size, fertility rates, illiteracy and population per nurse. Recommends increasing job opportunuties and more labour saving technology as ways to increase opportunity for Arab women.

Wife abuse and battering in the sociocultural context of Arab society.

Despite increasing public, professional, and scientific interest in the problem of wife abuse and battering, little has been written about the importance of sociocultural sensitivity in intervention with abused and battered women in Arab society. In this article, I describe central family values in that society and discuss their relevance to wife abuse and battering. Specifically, the discussion focuses on values such as mutual family support and interdependence, family reputation, women's inferiority and male supremacy, and family cohesion and the relevance of those values to wife abuse and battering. In addition, I present Arab women's perspectives on this problem, as revealed in their responses to open-ended questions that were part of larger studies conducted by me. In this regard, five dimensions of their perspectives are considered: (1) Women's definitions of violence against women; (2) their awareness of the problem; (3) their justification or condemnation of violence against women; (4) their awareness of the risk encountered by battered women; and (5) their approach toward coping with the problem. The results are discussed from the perspective of the sociocultural context of Arab society. The article concludes with recommendations for socioculturally sensitive intervention with battered women in this society.

S. Shami, L. Taminian, S. Morsy, Z. B. El-Bakri and E. Kameir: Women in Arab society: work patterns and gender relations in Egypt, Jordan and Sudan. (Berg/UNESCO Comparative Studies.) xix, 217 pp. Providence, R.I. and Oxford: Berg Publishers Ltd., 1990 [pub. 1991]. £22.50.

S. Shami, L. Taminian, S. Morsy, Z. B. El-Bakri and E. Kameir: Women in Arab society: work patterns and gender relations in Egypt, Jordan and Sudan. (Berg/UNESCO Comparative Studies.) xix, 217 pp. Providence, R.I. and Oxford: Berg Publishers Ltd., 1990 [pub. 1991]. £22.50.