Gender Equality by 2030: Possibility or Utopia?

This year’s March 8 International Women’s Day United Nations theme is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. With the new global 2030 roadmap and 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by UN Member States, gender equality appears to be the most critical[1]. According to Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director (UN […]

Women’s Rights should be Prioritized and Addressed

In an era where robots are sense-perceptive, mobile phones have 3D touch capabilities, and cars can drive with little human interference, it disappoints me to see how little opportunities to grow or be identified as an equal the MENA*[1] region has presented for women. As an Arab woman, I myself have seen the struggles women […]

Fairness Creams Expose the Ugly Truth

You’re flipping through channels on TV and you find yourself watching a commercial where a woman is at a job interview. She does not get the job. Two weeks later, after using a whitening cream that made her six shades lighter, she goes back for the same interview. This time, she gets the job. The […]

My story with Arranged Marriages

“I never knew that I would be able to write about my experience as a woman of this community. I’m here today because of it, I’m here because it has made me who I am today: a woman trying to embody the ideals of both the West and East, a constant struggle, a constant obstacle- […]

It's Always an Exception When It Comes to Women's Rights, Isn't It?

مش وقتا ‘Mich Wa2ta’ (Lebanese saying for ‘This is not the time to…’) is a national slogan in Lebanon used on several occasions by people of different social-economic, political and religious backgrounds. Quite understandable in a country torn by cycles of physical and psychological wars, corruption, a dysfunctional system of diversity management, the reign of […]

Sexes Gap Multiple Roots in the MENA Region

My name is Fikir and I am currently working towards completing my degree in International Relations at the American University in Dubai. I then plan on continuing my Master’s degree at SOAS University in London before permanently settling in the MENA/Sub-Saharan region to pursue a career in community development of disadvantaged provinces. I grew up […]

Arabs, Islam, and the Oppression of Women?

Descending from a line of politically and socially active women, I always had a different perspective on women’s issues. I was just as vocal and as active as the generations of women that preceded me in my bloodline. I studied in Bahrain and came to the United Arab Emirates to pursue my university degree in […]

Stereotypes about Women in the Middle East

I’ve always been fascinated by stereotypes in general, because we often group individuals together and make collective, controversial judgements about them, despite not knowing them.  There can be positive as well as negative stereotypes, and I believe that they are harmful to society because they oversimplify people’s qualities and create an inaccurate image of them, […]

My Hope for a Better Afghan Society

Feminism is a word taken for granted. It is used by people who do not even know its true meaning. One of my first ideas of the word came from my high school English teacher who said, “the difference between a feminist and a normal woman is if you open a door for a normal […]

Women: An Inspiration

As a child, I grew up in a world that was part fantasy and part reality. I was very visual, and my mind would often wander as I looked at objects, observed patterns, and listened to conversations. I gained a particular interest in observing people and the way they behave. My mother took me along […]