Comparative study of the women’s status in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa

Foroutan, Yaghoob; Shojaee, Mina

doi:10.22059/jwdp.2017.61990

Document Type : Basic article

Authors

Yaghoob Foroutan ¹
Mina Shojaee ²

¹ ssociate Professor, Department of Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

² PhD Student, Department of Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jwdp.2017.61990

Abstract

Women's status has experienced significant progress in most parts of the world in recent decades. However, the gender gap still exists in many countries. This study investigates the status of women in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from a comparative perspective. It uses such international indices as Gender Development Index, Gender Inequality Index, and Gender Gap Index. The methodology of the study is a secondary analysis using descriptive exploratory analysis and cluster analysis techniques on international data. Generally speaking, the results of this analysis highlight two key patterns. First, while all the MENA women are considered within one single category, they tend to hold a relatively lower level of gender outcomes and represent more visible gender gap in global comparison. Second, more detailed analysis emphasizes the substantial heterogeneity of the MENA women, suggesting that there is a significantly wide range of socio-economic patterns associated with women’s status by individual country in the region. This diversity needs to be carefully considered in order to provide an appropriate explanation on patterns and determinants associated with the MENA women’s status.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Women's Studies

References

[1] افراخته، حسن. (1389). «نقش اقتصاد نفتی در موقعیت اقتصادی و اجتماعی زنان مورد: کشورهای مسلمان خاورمیانه». مجموعه مقالات چهارمین کنگرۀ بین‌المللی جغرافی‌دانان جهان اسلام (2010ICIWG). زاهدان.

[2] باستانی، سوسن؛ اعظم آزاده، منصوره؛ مشتاقیان، مرضیه (1394). مقایسۀ شاخص‌های جنسیتی ایران با کشورهای جهان و منطقه. در فاطمه. جواهری، «گزارش وضعیت اجتماعی زنان در ایران ( 1380-1390)» (ص. 519-547). تهران: نشر نی.

[3] پیت، ریچارد؛ هارت ویک، الین (1384). نظریه‌های توسعه، ج اول، ترجمۀ مصطفی ازکیا، رضا صفری شالی و اسماعیل رحمانپور، تهران: لویه.

[4] پیشگاهی‌فرد، زهرا؛ پولاب، ام‌البنی (1388). «آینده‌پژوهی وضعیت اشتغال زنان در منطقۀ خاورمیانه با تأکید بر جایگاه ایران»، پژوهش زنان، 7 (3)، ص89ـ106.

[5] فروتن، یعقوب (1387). «جامعه‌شناسی دین و جنسیت: بررسی نظری و تجربی با تأکید بر اشتغال زنان»، مجلۀ مسائل اجتماعی ایران، 63، ص107ـ138.

[6] مامسن، جنت، هنشل (1387). جنسیت و توسعه،‌ ترجمۀ زهره فنی، تهران: مؤسسۀ انتشارات دانشگاه تهران.

[7] Alexander, Amy. C., Welzel, Christian. (2011). How Robust Is Muslim Support for Patriarchal Values? A Cross-National Multi-Level Study. Retrieved from Center for the Study of Democracy: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3db6b4ws

[8] Foroutan, Yaghoub. (2009). ″Gender and Religion: The Status of Women in the Muslim World″. In P. Beyer, & P. Clarck, The World's Religion:Continuties and Transformations (PP 223-235). London and New York: Routledge.

[9] Foroutan, Yaghoub. (2015). Misunderstood Population? Methodological Debate on Demography of Muslims in the West. In Yearbook of International Religious Demography. Brill Publication. Retrieved In Press.

[10] Haghighat, Elhum. (2013). ″Social Status and Change: The Question of Access to Resources and Women's Empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa″. Journal of International Women's Studies, 14 (1), PP 273-299.

[11] Mason, Karen Oppenheim. (1986). ″The Status of Women: Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Demographic Studies″. Social Forces, 1 (2), PP 284-300.

[12] Mason, Karen Oppenheim., Smith, Herbert. L. (2003). Women's Empowerment and Social Context:results from five Asian countries. Gender and Development Group, World Bank, Washington, DC.

[13] Moghadam, Valentine. (1996). Patriarchy and development: Women's positions at the end of the twentieth century. Oxford University Press.

[14] Moghadam, V. M. (2004). Towards gender equality in the Arab_/Middle East region: Islam, culture, and feminist activism. Human Development Report Office. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

[15] Moser , C., & Moser, A. (2005). ″Gender mainstreaming since Beijing: A review of success and limitations in international institutions″. Gender & Development, 13 (2), PP 11-22.

[16] Obermeyer, Carla Makhluf. (1992). ″Islam, Women, and Politics: The Demography of Arab Countries″. Population and Development Review, 18 (1), PP 33-60.

[17] Parpart, J. L., & Barriteau, E. (2000). Theoretical perspectives on gender and development. IDRC.

[18] Price, Anne M. (2011). ″Constraints and Opportunities: The Shaping of Attitudes Towards Women‘s Employment in the Middle East″. (Doctoral dissertation, The Ohio State University).

[19] Price, Anne M. (2014). ″Differential Support for Women in Higher Education and Politics Cross-Nationally″. Comparative Sociology, 13, PP 346-382.

[20] Rørbæk, Lasse Lykke. (2015). ″Islamic Culture, Oil, and Women’s Rights Revisited″. Politics and Religion, PP 1-23.

[21] Ross, Michael L. (2008). ″Oil, Islam and Women″. American Political Science Review, 102 (1), PP 107-123.

[22] Spierings, Niels. (2010). The economics of Middle Eastern households and women’s employment:Understanding the patriarchal gender contract. Middle East Economics Association, 2010 International Conference. Istanbul,Turkey.

[23] United Nations Development Programme (1995). Human Development Report 1995.

[24] United Nations Development Programme (2005). Human Development Report:International cooperation at a crossroad.

[25] United Nations Development Programme (2010). Human Development Report 2010, The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development.

[26] United Nations Development Programme. (2015). Human Development Report 2015: Work for Human Development.

[27] World Bank (2013). Opening Doors: Gender Equality and Development in the Middle East and North Africa.

[28] World Economic Forum (2014). The Global Gender Gap Report 2014.

[29] World Economic Forum. (2015). The Global Gender Gap Report 2015.

[30] Youssef, N. H. (1971). ″Social Structure and the Female Labor Force:The Case of Women Workers in Muslim Middle Eastern Countries″. Demography, 8 (4), PP 427-439.

Woman in Development & Politics

Comparative study of the women’s status in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa

References

References

Volume 15, Issue 1
April 2017
Pages 123-147

Comparative study of the women’s status in the Islamic countries of the Middle East and North Africa

References

References

Volume 15, Issue 1April 2017Pages 123-147

Volume 15, Issue 1
April 2017
Pages 123-147