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Obstacles Arab Women Are Facing to Achieve Gender Equality in America

posted on: May 25, 2021

Achieving gender equality has been an uphill task for many countries globally. The Arab countries in North Africa and the Middle East have lagged far much behind compared to other countries. 

Arab countries like the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Algeria are making some advances to try and achieve economic equality among women. However, Arab women are still facing obstacles to achieve gender equality in America. Some of the reasons for these trends include gender-based violence, economic disparities, political participation exclusion, indigenous barriers, and conflicts. 

Economic disparities by gender 

Women in the Arab region are underutilized in terms of economic force, where only a small percentage work outside the home. Most of the women who work away from their homes are given jobs that are traditionally meant for women. Job promotions women rarely happen and women cannot easily access positions involving lots of decision-making.

Incentives to deal with economic disparities include micro-lending, vocational training, access to markets, and business planning. These supportive measures create diversity in the workplace and enable women to access their desirable labor market. Economic empowerment can be increased by encouraging women to participate in the workforce.

There are lots of research gaps on economic disparities as one of the obstacles facing Arab women in the United States. If you are pursuing studies in the area of gender inequality, consider researching on causes of job discrimination among Arab women or any other related aspect. To write quality papers about gender inequality, use essay examples focused on gender inequality from WritingBros. The essays will act as sources of inspiration to enable you to feel motivated as you prepare to research. 

Political participation exclusion

Political participation among Arab women is still a major concern. Most minority countries in the Arab women, including Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Lebanon, have met insignificant milestones in the closing political gender gap. The United Arab Emirates has, however, improved by having more women parliamentarians. 

To address this issue, women are getting access to financial markets and successful role models and mentors in politics. They are being encouraged to participate in politics because their participation can result in democratic gains, including response to the needs of citizens.

University and college students should demonstrate their academic skills by writing quality academic papers. If you wish to write essays on Women’s rights, get some essay examples from Samplius at https://samplius.com/free-essay-examples/womens-rights/. From the essays, you can gather some insights into writing papers and presenting your work professionally. Review as many examples as possible to gain confidence as you prepare to write papers independently. This can also allow you to learn more about the structure of essays and how to create a paper title and draft. 

Gender based-violence

At least 30% of women globally have experienced some kind of gender-based violence at some point in their lives. In Arab nations, women are assaulted differently, where violence from partners is the most common, yet rarely reported. Violence by intimate partners is not given much attention. Community pressures and social stigma discourage many women from reporting it.

Another common form of gender-based violence in Arab countries is honor killings. The efforts to amend laws to deal with this have not borne any fruits. Jordan is the most affected, registering at least 15 reports of honor killings annually. The Arabic countries hosting Syrian refugees are reporting increased cases of child marriage to respond to the current crisis.

One way of addressing the issue of gender-based violence is boosting visibility among young people. Robust research is being conducted to estimate how much violence against women costs to use economic arguments to increase awareness and promote policy formulation. Emergency shelters are also being developed to offer a safe environment for gender-based violence survivors and the vulnerable group.

Indigenous hindrances

Social norms and gender-based discrimination among Arab women in America hinder the participation of women in the labor market. Young women are unable to go to school and their choices are compromised by domestic roles, childbearing and early marriages. 

The framework of culture associated with these norms perceives men as the major participants in the economic provision and women as caregivers and mothers. The women’s traditional image is therefore reinforced in the community. The societal norms contradict the belief that the values of the Islamic religion are to blame.

Various organizations have been formed and Islam is the basis of policies that offered women trading and working rights. The policies also allow women to participate in the economy independently. 

Conflicts

Instability is a common phenomenon in many Arab countries. The region has diverse humanitarian crises similar to what is experienced in Palestine, Iraq, and Palestine. The conflicts have affected social protection systems, displaced communities, increased vulnerabilities, and hindered access to favorable services. 

The Arab women are the main targets, with conflicts bringing insecurities that force women to do risky jobs such as sex work and trafficking to survive. The ethnic minority women and younger women encounter an increased violence threat. The treatment of women in society during times of conflict can easily be ignored due to more emphasis on issues of politics and economics. 

Due to the ganders that Arab women are exposed to, more flexible emergency services are being created. Policies are being implemented as solutions to ongoing conflicts. Women entrepreneurship is also being used to promote the image of women in the western region, where women are being seen as images of development and modernity. 

Conclusion

Arab women in America are unable to achieve gender equality due to the range of obstacles cited above. Whereas some steps are being taken to address the issues, the ultimate goal of attaining gender equality is not yet realized. Equality can lead to increased cooperation between nations and contribute to economic development. More importantly, it can be a way of creating a peaceful working environment. 

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Guest Author Bio: 

Paul Calderon writes for an agency and has been the top-rated freelancer for them for years. He is versatile and can write anything from an academic paper to a technical document with great ease. Other than writing, he is greatly fond of digital art, drawing caricatures and playing lawn tennis.

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