Cette constatation, cette question, passé la trentaine, devient un leitmotiv pesant qui dérange, blesse et déstabilise chaque jeune fille libanaise. N’étant pas la seule dans cette situation peu élogieuse, j’ai décidé de faire le tour de la question et de parler franchement de ce “problème” tabou de notre chère société. La première chose qui vient […]
Category Archives: Personal Stories
Why do Men Fear Women?
This is not a philosophy question. I am just sharing my story while hoping others will answer the question ‘Why do Men Fear Women?’ based on their own experiences. I have been working for quite some time in the Arab world, between Lebanon, Syria (before the war) and the United Arab Emirates. Different companies, different […]
I Urge you Not to Lose Faith in Humanity
My name is Kalima [my nickname, for security reasons] and I am Syrian. I left my country two years ago, following the massacre of my mother, father, brother, uncle and grand-parents. I was fortunate enough to be rescued and to be able to escape to Europe via Turkey, but many others weren’t. I have been […]
Having a daughter is a blessing!
Women do pay a heavy price since the day they are born in Lebanon. The first words most family members said to my mother when they knew I was going to be born were: “A girl? Well… Maybe next time you will have a boy to ‘become her crown’ (yitawweja in Lebanese)…” Gender based discrimination […]
Though we come from different places, we share common experiences because we are women
My name is Charlotte Moller and I am twenty-year-old student at the University of Albany in New York, studying abroad for one semester at the American University in Dubai. I am a Public Policy major with a minor in Women’s Studies extremely passionate about feminism. I have been a feminist my entire life, even before […]
Economics of Women: Marriage in Pakistan
You write about something for one of two things: either you are extremely passionate about the subject or when you strongly oppose an issue. I’m writing for the latter. The issue of giving dowry has been part of the marriage traditions for a long time. Started decades ago, this custom is being exploited in many […]
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 […]
My Feminism between the USA and the UAE
Feminism Is Too Strong of a Word I did not identify myself as a feminist until fairly recently. Growing up, I always had the image of a feminist as an angry men-hating, bra-burning, refusing-to-shave-her-legs woman. I have since been enlightened- according to recent research, there are numerous self-identified feminists who have never burned a bra […]
How I re-discovered Feminism
I It was a Wednesday afternoon, a day before the weekend started. But, it was also my third consecutive year walking the same campus grounds. It started to feel like a routine to me more than anything else; weekdays are not but mere anticipation for the weekends and the weekends are spent dreading the […]
Breaking Stereotypes
I am Ermida Koduah, a young woman from New York City. This spring I studied in the American University in Dubai. Taking the Women & Gender in the Middle East course this semester has helped me view the Middle East in a more positive way. I see the similarities between here and my own culture, […]