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Algeria:Gender Inequity
Blake Falanga
5/18/09
World History 1, Hjelmgren
Naima is an Algeria woman. She earns about 100,000 dinars a month. That is equivalent to $1470 a month. She says, “I bring in more money than [my husband] does” (Ahl). Although women are having an increase in the job market, they are also getting more freedom when it comes to marriage. The women of Algeria have also founded a group named Women Living Under Muslim Laws. This group helps to give rights to Algerian women (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). As one can see already, woman’s rights in Algeria are continually improving.
Women in Algeria are beginning to hold more jobs and have more rights in marriages. Algerian women can now hold jobs as police officers. This is very unusual for an Arab country. The women of Algeria can also drive trains and hold positions as judges. All of this was very uncommon a few years ago (Ahl). The Algeria workforce is still made up mostly of men, however, Algerian women are growing in it. They now make up 33% of it. That is a huge increase from only one decade ago when woman it was rare for woman to be working alongside men (Ahl). Women aren’t only gaining rights in the workplace. They are also gaining more marriage rights. Since 2005, women in Algeria have the right to file for divorce. But, they still have some rights that they need to work for. Such as, they don’t have the right to marry without the permission of a male relative (Ahl). This is only a minor set back though. Overall woman have gained an enormous amount of rights in the last decade alone.
One of the organizations that are fighting for the rights of women is the WLUML or Women Living Under Muslim Laws. This group of women came about in 1984 after the courts passed a law that said women are to be considered as “minors.” However the women argued long and hard and used the Algerian constitution as evidence. Article 29 states, “Citizens are equal before the law, regardless of birth, race, sex…” (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). The women of the WLUML are such a big deal that they were invited to attend the U.N. conference. The topic was women. This was a huge step because in the past, Algeria had only sent males to the United Nations but in 1995 women were allowed to go on behalf of woman’s rights (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). In the past, woman of Algeria who were assaulted were never considered to be victims and a lot of the time, crimes were just forgotten. However, in 2004, several men assaulted women in Algeria. For the first time, women were considered to be the victims of this horrible event and the men were tried in court (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). The WLUML is a great group for women and it is continually working to improve the rights of women in Algeria.
In Algeria today, this issue is continually improving. Women are gaining more and more rights although they will keep fighting until they are equal with men. This is a big deal in Algeria because the government has been passing laws that are contradicting the constitution. The constitution basically says that all people are equal no matter what. Other steps that might make this issue better known would be to branch out the WLUML to any Arab country where women are getting discriminated against. But just remember that women’s rights are improving day by day in Algeria. The women are remaining strong because they have hope that it truly will get better for them soon enough.
Works Cited
Ahl, Amira El. “Women Are on the Rise in Algeria.” Spiegel Online. 31 Jan. 2008. 15 May 2009 <http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,532307,00.html>.
This website explained a lot about women in the workforce and the marriage rights that women are fighting for and currently have. It told stories of women living in Algeria.
“Algerian Feminists Going Strong.” Gale Cenage Learning. 22 Apr. 2009. New Trier High School. 13 May 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/gic/start.do?prodId=GIC>.
This article told all about the WLUML. It was very specific which was good because then I could use specific examples in my paper. It also wasn’t opinionated at all. It just told the facts.
Last Updated on May 22, 2009, by Blake Falanga
5/18/09
World History 1, Hjelmgren
Naima is an Algeria woman. She earns about 100,000 dinars a month. That is equivalent to $1470 a month. She says, “I bring in more money than [my husband] does” (Ahl). Although women are having an increase in the job market, they are also getting more freedom when it comes to marriage. The women of Algeria have also founded a group named Women Living Under Muslim Laws. This group helps to give rights to Algerian women (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). As one can see already, woman’s rights in Algeria are continually improving.
Women in Algeria are beginning to hold more jobs and have more rights in marriages. Algerian women can now hold jobs as police officers. This is very unusual for an Arab country. The women of Algeria can also drive trains and hold positions as judges. All of this was very uncommon a few years ago (Ahl). The Algeria workforce is still made up mostly of men, however, Algerian women are growing in it. They now make up 33% of it. That is a huge increase from only one decade ago when woman it was rare for woman to be working alongside men (Ahl). Women aren’t only gaining rights in the workplace. They are also gaining more marriage rights. Since 2005, women in Algeria have the right to file for divorce. But, they still have some rights that they need to work for. Such as, they don’t have the right to marry without the permission of a male relative (Ahl). This is only a minor set back though. Overall woman have gained an enormous amount of rights in the last decade alone.
One of the organizations that are fighting for the rights of women is the WLUML or Women Living Under Muslim Laws. This group of women came about in 1984 after the courts passed a law that said women are to be considered as “minors.” However the women argued long and hard and used the Algerian constitution as evidence. Article 29 states, “Citizens are equal before the law, regardless of birth, race, sex…” (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). The women of the WLUML are such a big deal that they were invited to attend the U.N. conference. The topic was women. This was a huge step because in the past, Algeria had only sent males to the United Nations but in 1995 women were allowed to go on behalf of woman’s rights (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). In the past, woman of Algeria who were assaulted were never considered to be victims and a lot of the time, crimes were just forgotten. However, in 2004, several men assaulted women in Algeria. For the first time, women were considered to be the victims of this horrible event and the men were tried in court (Algerian Feminists Going Strong). The WLUML is a great group for women and it is continually working to improve the rights of women in Algeria.
In Algeria today, this issue is continually improving. Women are gaining more and more rights although they will keep fighting until they are equal with men. This is a big deal in Algeria because the government has been passing laws that are contradicting the constitution. The constitution basically says that all people are equal no matter what. Other steps that might make this issue better known would be to branch out the WLUML to any Arab country where women are getting discriminated against. But just remember that women’s rights are improving day by day in Algeria. The women are remaining strong because they have hope that it truly will get better for them soon enough.
Works Cited
Ahl, Amira El. “Women Are on the Rise in Algeria.” Spiegel Online. 31 Jan. 2008. 15 May 2009 <http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,532307,00.html>.
This website explained a lot about women in the workforce and the marriage rights that women are fighting for and currently have. It told stories of women living in Algeria.
“Algerian Feminists Going Strong.” Gale Cenage Learning. 22 Apr. 2009. New Trier High School. 13 May 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/gic/start.do?prodId=GIC>.
This article told all about the WLUML. It was very specific which was good because then I could use specific examples in my paper. It also wasn’t opinionated at all. It just told the facts.
Last Updated on May 22, 2009, by Blake Falanga
