Women's Rights in the Middle East – Lecture Review

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering statistics, historical facts, key concepts and debates on women’s rights, labour, politics and religion in the Middle East as discussed in the lecture.

Under fifteenth-century Ottoman law, a Turkish woman could divorce her husband if he failed to provide enough __.

coffee

New Zealand economist __ called for unpaid labour to be counted in national accounts in 1999.

Marilyn Waring

Women in the MENA region spend the most time on __ care work compared with any other world region.

unpaid

Only about __ % of women in Yemen use modern contraception, versus 67 % in Morocco.

23

Until __, women in Saudi Arabia were not allowed to drive.

2017

According to 2018 World Bank data, about __ % of Middle-Eastern countries still restrict women’s ability to apply for a passport.

16

Female labour-force participation in MENA is roughly __ % (2023 data).

17.9

The theory that past historical paths constrain current choices is known as __ dependency.

path

The Global Gender Gap Report has ranked __ first for closing the gender gap for more than ten years.

Iceland

Prophet Muhammad’s first wife, __, was a wealthy, divorced businesswoman older than him.

Khadija

Moroccan feminist __ argues that female subordination stems from male misinterpretation of the Qur’an, not the text itself.

Fatima Mernissi

The Qur’anic verse stating “be you male or female, you are __ to one another” is cited to support gender equality.

equal

In Switzerland, women gained the federal right to vote only in __.

1971

Countries such as Yemen, Pakistan and __ regularly appear at the bottom of the Global Gender Gap rankings.

Iraq (any of: Iraq/Syria/Chad etc.; lecture listed Iraq)

Veiling can be seen by some Islamic feminists as a form of __ that lets women navigate public space.

empowerment

A full-body covering with mesh over the eyes, common in Afghanistan, is called a __.

burqa

Women made up a significant part of the National Liberation Front (FLN) during Algeria’s struggle against __ rule.

French

Quota systems raise women’s political representation; in the UAE women now hold about __ % of parliamentary seats.

50

Average female literacy in the Middle East is about __ %—below the world average of 84 %.

87

Honor __ refers to killings committed to restore perceived family reputation when women violate social norms.

killing

One cause of women’s disempowerment identified in class discussions was ongoing __ and instability in the region.

warfare/conflict

In many Gulf states, the face-covering veil exposing only the eyes is known as a __.

niqab

The gap between high female university enrolment and low employment in Saudi Arabia illustrates that education does not automatically translate into __.

workforce participation

In France, strict __ bans prohibit overt religious symbols such as the Muslim headscarf in many public positions.

secularism (laïcité)