On the occasion of AUB’s Co-Ed Centennial celebration, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office and the University Libraries in collaboration with the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship are featuring a curated collection of graduate students’ theses focusing on different topics related to gender equality and intersectional feminism.
Starting Monday, October 4th, we will release and promote a selected thesis weekly with access to the full document. We hope that this will highlight the richness and diversity of AUB graduate students’ engagement in gender transformative research and will inspire our current students to explore new and emerging gender-related research questions.
The views and opinions expressed on this page are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Asfari Institute and or AUB.
Check out AUB’s Co-Ed page
Women’s Access to Employment and Career Advancement: Towards more Supportive HR Practices and Systems in the Lebanese Private Sector
by Assile Jihad Hennaoui
Abstract
The roles that men and women play in society are not biologically determined; so much as they are socially determined (Sangeeta and Sharma, 2012). From the moment of birth, gender expectations influence how boys and girls are treated. Unfortunately, career differences can be easily seen in the career choices of men and women, especially that women participation in the labor force is mostly concentrated in traditional areas such as teaching, nursing, and low-level administrative work (Sangeeta and Sharma, 2012). Furthermore, despite the rising number of working women in the Arab Middle East, the percentage of women in the Lebanese workforce has remained below that of other countries across the world, due to the extent of discrimination between males and females in the workplace. In the Middle East, the total percentage of women in the labor force has increased from 1990 till 2017. For example, Saudi Arabia experienced an increase from 10.6% to 16.2%, Kuwait 24.2% to 28.2%, Iran 10.4% to 19.0%, Iraq 9.6% to 20.1% and Lebanon 22.5% to 24.5% only (World Bank, 2017).
The Role of Women in Development
(With Special Reference to the Middle East)
by Mirgun Ergunduz
Abstract
The cradle of so many ancient civilisations, the Middle East is at the moment undergoing a most significant revolution. This revolution is basically a social one, penetrating into the depths of society and Its value system, The rapid changes in technology and in the institutions of society have led to an inevitable revision of the general outlook of the Middle Easterner. This rapid and often drastic change of attitudes has In many instances caused considerable hardship to the Individuals who are caught in this transformation process. The gaps between generations, as far as attitude to life is concerned, have been too big to bridge. The rapid transformation of society has also led to the emergence of the so called “marginal man” – the Individual who can identify himself neither with the traditional social values and norms nor with the new Ideas that he is exposed to in the tremulous world of a changing society. However, one need not view this situation with alarm, since the blessings of social change will result from its vexing experiences, no matter how paradoxical this statement may seem, The position of women is a significant part in its value system, and it is no coincidence that the rapidly changing norms and values of the Middle East are accompanied by a change in the position of women.
Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, Screening and Management Practices of Domestic Violence against Women among Emergency Departments’ Health Care Providers in Lebanon
by Rasha Shehadi
Abstract
Violence against women has been recognized as “perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. And, it is perhaps the most pervasive” (Annan, 1999, page1). Domestic violence against women (DVAW) knows no culture, religion, borders, or beliefs, and women continue to endure domestic violence worldwide, with estimates varying from 20% to 50% from one country to another (UNICEF, 2000). Initially regarded as a human right issue, DVAW turned into a public health concern due to the global women’s organizations efforts (WHO, 2002). This phenomenon continues to be a “global epidemic” that jeopardizes women’s psychological, physical, sexual and reproductive, and economic wellbeing (Garcia-Moreno and Watts, 2011; Chambliss, 2008; UNICEF, 2000).
Between the Blogosphere and the Public Sphere: Egyptian Women Bloggers Before and After the January 25th Revolution
by Rand Ali El Zein
Abstract
The digital age has witnessed the rapid rise of blogging in the Arab world (Khiabany and Sreberny, 2007). Blogs became new platforms for political discussions, debates, and self-expression while sometimes functioning independent of statecontrolled media. Although most scholars remain uncertain of the ability of bloggers to instigate a revolution, blogs are nonetheless empowering enough to reshape the Arab public sphere. Lynch (2007) claimed the blogosphere is one of the places where mediated political debates and taboo topics find expression. Skalli (2006) provided a precise gendered perspective on the Arab public sphere. She claims that an understanding of the public sphere will remain incomplete if the role of women and the media are not investigated alongside each other. Annabelle Serberny (2002) has argued, “Women and the media are increasingly taken as a key index of the democratization and development of society” (p. 15). Moreover, El Sadda (2010) claimed that Arab blogging has created online literary counter-public, especially for Arab women who do not have easy access to traditional literary circles, such as coffee houses.
Understanding the “Queen Queer” Phenomenon of Women Working at Male-dominated Jobs in Lebanon: Defying the “3aib” Mystique via Redoing Gender?
by Maysa Mustafa Shawwa
Abstract
“Don‟t they respect themselves? Have morals vanished from our society?” screamed the Facebook post into my ears hurting my feminist radar. The comment was directed to women working at the only women-run gas station in Lebanon, Queen gas station. Queen but queer, I thought. The online debate I engaged in smeared comments that attested that women aren’t “suitable” for such “masculine jobs”. This online stigmatization of women workers has several manifestations. Whether demonstrated in practices of gender discrimination against these women or masqueraded in the society‟s patriarchal gaze, directly or indirectly influencing women‟s career duties and choices, women in traditionally ascribed “masculine” jobs face many hurdles. She approaches the car. His eyes looking suspiciously, he attempts to turn on the engine and leave before anyone notices him. “Can I help you, sir?” breaks the silence and shatters with it the first wall of cultural shame. His plan to escape the vicious circle of “3aib” (shame) fails. She walks and pumps gas into his car successfully. Managed by Samar Dakdouk since February 2011, Queen gas station has created work opportunities for women in Sidon and neighboring areas (Anderson, 2012).
Working Hard to be Funny: Lebanese Comedians‘ Labor, Gender and the Pursuit of Authentic Celebrity
by Maya Ahmad Adra
Abstract
I recall the first time I attended Fady Raidi‘s comedy show in the summer of 2017. It was very funny and timely. I remember leaving the show with my friends with the shared feeling that a heavy load had been lifted off our shoulders. Fady‘s comedy spoke much about our political and social frustrations. His humor dissipated a built-up tension in our bodies and left us feeling mirth and a sense of relief that we weren‘t alone. In a nostalgic moment I went back online to check some of his comedy on YouTube. I found a few recordings from 2011 and 2009, and I was struck by two profound observations. First, watching his show online may not have had the same affective jolt that struck me when I had shared laughter with others, but I still felt that sense of delight that comes along with chuckling. Second, and most ironically, his narratives and his sarcastic critiques on politics and society still resonated. I had a hard time believing that the very topics he had covered were not commentaries on the malaise that is afflicting us today.
Influence of Media and Media Literacy on Women’s Self Esteem: A Pilot Study
by Rita Hage
Abstract
In a world characterized by instant communications and interactive multimedia, regardless of where one lives, women are constantly subjected to stereotypes and pressures of how thin and attractive they should be. Women live in a world where they are continuously under scrutiny about their appearance and believe they have to go through many means to feel attractive, such as losing weight and undergoing cosmetic surgery (James, 2013). Unfortunately, these pressures of beauty from society and the media have only increased in recent years (Khourchid, 2009). In past generations and in many cultures, plump women were considered attractive and appealing, such as Marilyn Monroe who was a size 12 (Khourchid, 2009). Other curvy pin-up girls from the 1950s, such as Bettie Page, Sophia Lorel, and Mamie Van Doren, were also known as sex symbols; people from all over the world considered them beautiful and stunning (Johnson, 2010). Even in the Middle East, in past generations, men preferred women who were plump and considered them attractive because they were seen as symbols of feminine fertility (Latzer, Tzischinsky, & Azaiza, 2007).
A Managerial Critique of Political Parties and Women’s Parliamentary Representation in Lebanon
by Joanna Jihad Raichouni
Abstract
When women show emotion, they are called dramatic. When they want to be equal to men, they are insane. When they dream of equal opportunities, they are delusional. When they stand for their rights, they are unhinged. When they are too good at their positions, there’s something wrong with them. And when they get angry, they are hysterical or irrational or just being women. But, women have come a long way: women getting to drive in Saudi Arabia, women ministers in Arab countries like Jordan, Qatar, and UAE, elected and appointed female heads of state and government in countries like India, China, Germany, USA, UK, Pakistan, Norway, Ireland, Turkey, Canada…and women competing in a Hijab were all considered crazy doings. Hence, women can show global societies what crazy can do; because it is only mad until women do it (Nike, 2019).
Tunisian Women during the Revolution in 2011- between Participation and Marginalization
by Katharina Bruno Haensler
Abstract
Women’s struggles in Tunisia have always been embedded in a nationalist context and this dynamic is continued by the youngest generation of activists in present-day Tunisia. Young women are now eager to be a part of forming and shaping a new democratic Tunisia with an active civil society. But despite women’s efforts to participate in the nationalist struggles in the 1950s, in student and worker uprisings in the 1970s, 1980s and in 2008 which led ultimately to the revolution in 2011, women were marginalized and their role as mothers and wives dominated over their role as citizens. In Tunisia, this process is in motion and in jeopardy at the same time. The nation is in process of redefining itself and its society. The question is when and how women’s issues should be discussed and addressed in society and politics. Burning topics like economic stagnation and high rates of poverty seem to be more important for many citizens, even women. Although women in Tunisia have achieved legal rights that are outstanding in comparison to other Arab countries, and wide parts of the urban Tunisian society are fairly liberal, women are by no means fully empowered. Sherifa Zuhur thinks that “Arab states embody various patriarchal structures and Arab society clings to a patriarchal system in which women’s position within and duties towards the family precedes their rights as individuals” (Zuhur, 2003:2).
The men behind the chair at a Beiruti salon: a case study of Lebanese hairdressers’ gender and professional identity construction
by Ghada Seifeddine
Abstract
Storytelling is a linguistic resource for constructing social identity in the workplace. Professionals may use stories to present and regulate various kinds of gendered identities and make sense of their social world (Coates, 2003; Georgakopoulou, 1997; Johnstone, 2001). Findings from Eggins and Slade (1997) and Holmes (2005) suggest that workplace narratives serve to invoke supportive elements of talk, conventionally associated with femininity, and help the speakers connect with each other. Workplace narratives would then provide the linguistic opportunity to build solidarity whilst getting work done (Holmes, 2005, 2009).