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The Dynamics of Discriminatory Social Beliefs and Practices and Gender Equity in the Arabic-Speaking MENA Region: Lessons Learned in the Last Twenty Years and the Way Forward
International debate underlines the myopic nature of the understanding that increased access by women to the formal sector and legal rights is in conjunction with economic growth . Instead, it contends that social institutions - laws, norms, and traditions - constitute the key factor determining women's freedom of choice in all domains. Accordingly, it calls upon policy makers and donors to focus on practices of social institutions.
The Center for Arab Women Training and Research (CAWTAR) has launched its project on gender equity and discriminatory social practices in 2005. The objective of the project is to document experiences to learn from what has worked and what has not within the last twenty years. This is basically to capitalize on best practices accumulated over this period to strengthen institutional strategies to effectively implement, measure the impact and ensure the sustainability of other relevant present and future projects. The main components of this project are described below.
The project began with a call for studies based on evaluation of either ongoing or completed programs or initiatives which had addressed certain types of discriminatory social practices or beliefs. The focus of the sixteen assessed programs and initiatives varies: sub-regional; national and local as well as their priority area differs: physical security; education, communication; reproductive health; economic participation and voice building through the quota, literature and arts and transformative discourse. The authors of these studies are: consultants, field-workers, university professors, representatives of NGOs including seven members of CAWTAR’s Arab Network for Gender and Development (@NGED). The full texts of the evaluation studies are accessible at the project’s website <http://genderequity.cawtar.org>. In addition, Dr. Hoda Badran, the Scientific coordinator of the project, prepared a conceptual background paper which consolidated the regional lessons learned from the assessed programs and initiatives to illustrate guidelines for better implementation of future projects. The paper is also published in the project’s website.
Based on the lessons accumulated from assessed initiatives and programs, the project produced capacity-building materials including: a compendium of best practices and a workbook tailored for NGOs to enhance their knowledge and use of these practices. The copies of these products are available in print as well as electronically accessible at the project’s website. CAWTAR acknowledges the work of Dr. Hoda Badran; Miss Shahira Ahmed, a consultant; and Miss Adama Ordu a graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania, in preparation the compendium, and acknowledges the effort of Miss Ahmed in drafting the modules of the workbook.
The project’s policy-oriented document is produced by this publication which utilizes the lessons learned from the assessed programs and initiatives as base-line information to present recommendations to policy makers, donor agencies, and regional networks to ensure their continuous support of efforts addressing discriminatory social practices and beliefs. It is divided into three parts. Part I is a background on the types and sources of practices and beliefs addressed by assessed programs and initiatives. Part II summarizes trends for further actions based on the lessons learned from them. Part III includes the recommendations.
Click her to see the Executive Summary