Full Description
Womanpower unveils the lively but little-reported debate on women's position in the modern Arab world. It paints a picture drawn from individual stories as well as from national development programmes and attempts to explain why the process of social change in the region has been slow and uneven by linking it to political and economic developments. By illustrating particular themes - personal status laws, development policies, political rights - with examples from specific countries, Nadia Hijab builds up an informative overview of the Arab world today. The title sums up the two-pronged approach: the process of integrating women into the modern work-force and of empowering them to enjoy equal rights and opportunities. The book argues that those seeking equal rights for Arab women cannot isolate this aim from the search to liberate Arab potential and resources and for democratic political systems. The Arab world is a region in search of an identity. The book discusses the differing views of liberals and conservatives, most of whom are concerned that Arab identity be developed in an indigenous context rather than by slavish imitation.
Contents
List of tables; Preface; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The great family law debate; 2. Cross-currents conservative and liberal; 3. Arab women in the workforce; 4. Jordanian women's liberating forces: inflation and labour migration; 5. The Arab Gulf states: demand but no supply; 6. Power past and future; Bibliography; Index.
