Written by Ansam Al Tammam and translated by Ghassan Makarem Salma Ahmad, a 24-year-old graphic designer, 1 graphic designer, quit her job without mentioning the reasons. But that was the only way for her to put an end to her manager’s harassment. “I kept trying to avoid him and being with him in the same […]
Working women remain a controversy in the region, where experts ranging from psychologists to religious leaders can be heard on television and radio shows, attempting to justify, defend or condemn the presence of women in the workforce. Not having the lived experience of a woman in the Arab World is not uncommon among the invited public figures. Yet, whether with or against, they seem to be trusted with the “analysis” of a woman’s psyche, anatomy and “nature”, and these mechanisms’ “compatibility” with what it takes to get a job and sustain one.
As the world economy struggles to stay afloat amidst complications associated with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, economists are forced to revisit withstanding economic systems that govern our lives. This unforeseen hit to the global economy has only further proven how current policies and practices fail to adequately cater for the vulnerable and the marginalized; bringing to broad daylight persisting class and gender struggles.
Self-care is the new empowerment: a woman taking responsibility to care for her body, mind and soul. In times of stress and uncertainty, we easily neglect our needs as we attempt to take charge of pressing matters and end up becoming depleted. Practicing self-care on a regular basis builds the vitality, focus and clarity that are needed to manage challenging times.
Today women strive daily to pave their way into equality while bearing systemic barriers and disadvantages. Women’s career advancement has not always been a given, it is something we battled fiercely to achieve. And still, despite many battles and victory, women suffer from injustices in the workplace.
Written by Hanaa al-Shloul and translated by Ghassan Makarem As long as the prevailing conflict in Arab societies remains economic, justice will be the only means for radical change, when women become unequivocally equal to men in the job market and the family. Thus, the Jordanian state and community organizations aim to achieve economic justice, […]
When Lebanon’s anti-government revolution kicked off on October 17, women carved out their own spaces in the protests that swept across the country. They demanded an end to corruption and sectarian politics, cried out against the deteriorating living standards and financial crisis, and rallied against the patriarchal system that renders them secondary citizens by all standards.
On the night of October 17, 2019, people went down to the streets in Lebanon. We all had a similar feeling, not sure what it was, but it definitely included anger. Thus started the revolution in Lebanon. People went down the streets full of hope, everyone thought: this is it. It’s happening. At first, it was full of adrenaline, no one knew what was going on but we knew we had to stand our ground. Shortly after the first night, after the violence and tear gas, people noticed what kind of police state we live in and the amount of hate built up over the decades for this government, I realized this was going to take time. Time, energy, and sacrifices.