The Harrowing State of Women’s Rights in Lebanon

The problems facing women in Lebanon today have been further complicated by the financial, economic, and social crises that have been affecting the country since 2019. It is therefore not surprising that women were on the frontlines of the so-called Tishreen (October) Revolution in 2019, because their rights were central to these protests. The uprising aimed to overthrow the sectarian regime and the warlords who have been in power since the end of the Lebanese Civil War in 1990. These warlords implemented a postwar regime that keeps women beholden to sectarian courts. Indeed, while in the past couple of decades other Arab countries have adopted and implemented new progressive laws both socially (for example, as in Morocco's moudawana) and politically (such as explicit or implicit gender quotas in lower chambers or parliaments), Lebanon remains mired in antiquated laws. These were inherited from the Ottoman era, or from the French Mandate that governed the country from the end of the World War I to independence in 1943.

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