Perceptions of the political gender quota debate in Lebanon -

Abstract

This thesis explores the debate in Lebanon on political gender quotas through the use of semi-structured interviews with some of the country’s civil society and political elite. It first analyzes the academic literature on the concept of citizenship in light of women’s exclusion from the public sphere and the debate on the definitions and theories of political gender quotas. This thesis then explores the evolution of Lebanese women’s historical participation in national politics before turning to their positions and socio-economic status in modern Lebanese society. The thesis analyzes the results of interviews with ten prominent members of Lebanon’s civil society and political sphere with regard to their perceptions of women’s role in the public sphere in the country, as well as their opinions on the feasibility and desirability of a political gender quota in Lebanon. The respondents stand largely in favor of such quota, although some raise fears that the legislation would not necessarily benefit women’s broader political inclusion. However, they overwhelmingly believe that gender quota legislation was unlikely to be implemented in the near future. The respondents identified two main obstacles to political gender quotas: entrenched patriarchal mentality in Lebanese society, and a resilient political system concerned with preserving elite power at the expense of Lebanon’s citizens. Their responses confirm many of the arguments on citizenship put forward by Arab and Islamic feminists. This research concludes that the civil society organizations concerned with women’s rights should either work to create broad momentum and awareness of political gender quotas or table the issue altogether until the hurdles to its application are addressed.