Yet Another Problem in the Middle East

Arab society as a whole suffers because of the marginalized status of its women. A series of Arab Human Development Reports, from the United Nations Development Programme, explore the many challenges facing Arab societies. Half the women in Arab society are illiterate along with one third of the men. Concern emerges in Arab societies that Western values draw women away from family roles, and yet the family household is a common setting for acts of violence. The report suggests that conservative Islam, not Islam itself, contributes to such marginalization, along with the general sense that Arab men are globally uncompetitive due to “continued infringements on national sovereignty.” Still, Arab women resent support from West, which according to this article in “The Economist,” only “leads some Arabs to associate all women's movements with external intervention.” – YaleGlobal