Concrete
Walls
and
Glass
Ceilings
By Magdy Dakiki
In addition to their struggle for the establishment of an independent state,
Palestinian women are also struggling to gain their rights in the political,
economic, legal, social, health and educational spheres.
P
alestinian women
are recognized for
their role in efforts
towards statehood,
yet in comparison
to men, they continue to be
disadvantaged in many aspects of
life. The adoption of the concept of
gender equality and equity in the
Palestinian government's national
strategies is slowly starting to
materialize, particularly following
the establishment of the Ministry
of Women's Affairs.
The Ministry's mandate is to
build gender mainstreaming
capacity at the governmental
level; improve the government's
policies, laws and legislation;
adopt the necessary plans to ensure
the Palestinian government's
commitment to the integration
of gender in its development
plans; and to implement positive
discrimination policies towards
women. However, the set
strategies, policies and plans are
still in need of further efforts and
infrastructure to be realized.
The 2005 Millennium
Development Goal (MDG)
progress report for the occupied
Palestinian territory (oPt) stated
that "...there has been a very
positive trend in reducing gender
disparity in the Palestinian
education system." According
to Palestinian Higher Education
Statistics (2004) carried out by
the Ministry of Education and
Higher Education, the number
of female students enrolled in
Bachelor of Science (BSc) and
Bachelor of Arts (BA) programs
stands at 53,147 compared with
53,477 male students. Particularly
important are the statistics
which show that more female
students (5,043) are enrolled
in the science and technology
elds, compared to male students
(4,829). Moreover, the number
of female graduates for the 2002-
2003 academic year, estimated at
5,162, exceeded the total number
of male students (4,404). These
gures are unique to the West
Bank and Gaza when compared
with other Arab countries, where
it is still more common for
women to study humanities. It is
quite obvious that female students
have broken through the concrete
walls of male domination in the
science and technology sector,
with the exception of engineering
where they account for only 32
percent of students.
However, this does not
necessarily mean that
through education women are
automatically empowered, as this
is simply a tool towards a future
career and a means of building
self-reliance. I believe this new
generation of Palestinian women
are facing another barrier that
requires greater efforts from all
sectors of society institutions,
including the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA). This barrier,
or "glass ceiling", refers to the
disparity in job opportunities,
which undermines the progress
women have made in education.
The utilization of this vital
human capital in the Palestinian
economy is still minimal. Despite
the fact that women accounted
for approximately 50 percent
of IT graduates between 2002-
2005, only 3 percent are currently
employed in the eld, compared
to 67 percent of male graduates.
It is therefore crucial to call for
