Women’s Rights in Morocco – Issue Brief (International Relations-Human Rights)
Executive Summary
This article examines the connection between women’s rights advocacy at the international level and local participation in Morocco. Women’s rights in Morocco is driven by the need for change from the gender-based discernment that was present in the country. Women’s rights lobby groups and non-governmental organizations have focused on attaining equality for women to actively participate in the feminization and inclusivity of the public sphere to guarantee sustainable progress. They form liberal social transformation through the organization and involvement of women. Feminism in Morocco has been molded around family virtues, which were initially discriminatory to women and which sparked elite women leaders to take up action and create the women’s rights activities. This report addresses the issues of women’s rights from an international perspective to the Moroccan example, while assessing the impact of the family code in women’s rights programs in that country.
Introduction
Women’s rights issues refer to a variety of socio-political activities and philosophies that are geared towards defining, establishing, and attaining political, economic as well as social equality of all sexes. Feminists hold the view that women in the world are treated unjustly, and that the views of men are prioritized before their own, and that it is crucial for women to step up in leadership roles and positively change the status quo. Women’s rights advocacy gained prominence in the western world during the 19th century, with pioneering women voicing their support for universal suffrage and equality in representation through religious reform movements, abolitionist movements, and temperance groups. Most of these efforts have borne fruit, even though there is still a lot of room for improvement in policy as well as in the prevailing cultural norms. Women have gained many civil rights that had been previously curtailed, and are enjoying a more flexible world in as far as fundamental freedoms are concerned. Since then, other regions of the world have adopted the message of equality and have integrated this into their different lifestyles, to give women a more robust platform that can be used to advance the cause further. This article assesses the direction that the women’s rights in Morocco is taking to ensure that all people are treated equally as is before God and in the law, and the particular challenges that are present to the women who are part of this ongoing reform struggle.
Background
The focus of feminism on local governance structures from a more global approach has been mainly credited to the international women’s conferences that were held in which women from both the developed and the developing world convened to discuss important issues that women face in their different societies. The main points of agreement were the need for developing universal standards such as women’s involvement in political processes, their human rights, and ending violence directed towards women. Morikawa (2016) argues that apart from the broader goals, other direct needs such as availing adequate basic requirements, decreasing unemployment rates, and women’s contribution to economic activities.
In traditional Moroccan societies, which is mostly Muslim, there is a clear definition of the role of man and woman, and the family, being the smallest unit of society, was given specific attention. The society had traditionally been patriarchal, with a little condescending but male-dominated culture. Men regarded women as property and could marry more than one wife, while women, once married, had no other role except to fulfill the desires of their husbands who had full control over their lives. As a result of this structured family society, there arose a connection between the role of the women rights activists and the reform groups and opinions they believed in (Merry, 2006). It was common for local leaders to act as though they have the best interest of the local members through looking compliant while, in reality, there was little effort to alter the role of the woman in the society.
The United Nations has set up several major conferences in the past, where women from all over the world have had the opportunity to meet and build consensus on different ideas and agendas. Even though there have been contentious points in some of the meetings, the overall goal of advancing women’s rights has been continuously achieved. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is another international guiding declaration that was established in 1979 and ratified by Morocco in 1993. Member countries are expected to submit progress reports to the CEDAW committee, which assesses countries’ commitment to equality. As Bishin & Cherif (2020) posit, women’s rights movements have leveraged on these resources to exert pressure on policymakers for the much-needed change, and as the universal applicability of the recommendations gain popularity in the local sphere’s more leaders become interested in presenting their views and inspiring change.
Possible Solutions
Constant engagement between women in the process of formulating solutions is key to expanding women’s rights activities in Morocco. Women leaders must work together to form a common front that would be strong enough to safeguard the gains that have been made in the efforts to attain equality (Morikawa, 2016). Differences in ideologies and opinions should only serve as sources of various channels that can be implemented to achieve a better quality of life for everyone. Having a shared sense of direction not only helps to identify areas of improvement but also motivates members to remain faithful to the main agenda. Transnational human rights activities are possible to be conducted on a local scale, thanks to the connections that arise from these conferences, with an elaborate network of activists and change individuals leading the way. Through these relationships, it becomes possible to see the connection between international human rights activities and more localized Women’s rights efforts.
Having more women get involved in the reform agenda will have a more significant impact on the results on the ground. This will mean that more and more women will get equal access to education, a more comprehensive job market, and other shared amenities that are provided by the society and, therefore, less suffering and increased acceptability by men. Extending women’s rights will also mean that the lives of men are improved as well since a myriad of the areas that fall under equality will level the ground for fair competition and development initiatives. According to Bishin & Cherif (2020), social reforms are usually dependent on the individual who symbolizes the message being passed across, and in the case of Moroccan activists, their influence would significantly increase with an enhanced involvement strategy.
Personalizing the Effort
This internalization of a global concept into a local program was witnessed in Morocco when in 2004, the government introduced a family code that is recommended for each of its citizens, giving women more equality in family matters (Ruíz, 2015). Marriage contracts are reviewed as well as the right to ownership of the property for women is safeguarded in this code, as is the minimum marriage age for women is also established. For this system to sustainably produce positive results, all members in society have to be mindful of their personal responsibility and be ready to be held accountable for their actions. The importance of the family is engrained in the culture where each member of that unit is free to exercise their liberties and be accepted regardless of their opinion. Having everyone take an active role in the decision-making processes makes them more likely to agree with the outcome of the process, and therefore it helps to legitimize the reform movements in that country (Ruíz, 2015). The study of how Morocco implemented the Mudawwana can help to elucidate the fact that the best solutions to the rights issue involve members being accountable for their actions.
Conclusion.
Traditional Moroccan societies indeed believed in patriarchy, while paying little attention to the contributions of their female members in their various communities. Gender inequalities significantly existed, as women were the perennial victims of this discrimination. Men enjoyed certain privileges that were not accorded to women, such as being able to marry more women while being favored by divorce. In terms of equality in occupations and duties, women were limited to work as children bearing vessels and to offer unconditional support to their husbands. International women’s right activities sparked local feminists to increase their efforts and increase pressure on policymakers to change the law to be more inclusive. However, changing the law was not the only solution, as there was still rampant discrimination and inequality against women. Women’s rights activists and change leaders have a significant role to play in promoting awareness of the fundamental rights that documents such as the Mudawwana, a family code-shared by the government to guide the improvement of women’s development initiatives. Making more women aware of the opportunities they are exposed to through the involvement in transnational women’s rights activities, increases their participation in governance and decision-making roles.
References
Bishin, B. G., & Cherif, F. M. (2020). Women , Property Rights , and Islam Author ( s ): Benjamin G . Bishin and Feryal M . Cherif Source : Comparative Politics , Vol . 49 , No . 4 ( July 2017 ), pp . 501-519 Published by : Comparative Politics , Ph . D . Programs in Political Science , City U. 49(4), 501–519.
Merry, S. E. (2006). Transnational Human Rights and Local Activism : American Anthropologist, 108(1), 38–51.
Morikawa, Y. (2016). The opportunities for and challenges to female labor force participation in Morocco. The Arab Spring Five Years Later: Vol 2: Case Studies, 240–285.
Ruíz, A. A. B. (2015). No 主観的健康感を中心とした在宅高齢者における 健康関連指標に関する共分散構造分析Title. 3(2), 54–67. http://repositorio.unan.edu.ni/2986/1/5624.pdf