Public Opinion Data and Political and Legal Reform Opportunities for Women in Yemen, Morocco and Lebanon

As people across the Middle East and North Africa continue to protest for greater freedom and equality under repressive regimes, women have an unprecedented opportunity to capture some of the newly created political space and ensure gender rights are integrated into political and legal reforms.

Gender-focused surveys performed by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Yemen, Morocco and Lebanon reveal that the majority of both men and women are open to certain key political and legal reforms that could improve the status of women in their countries. IFES presents analysis that builds on last year’s paper by including data from the Yemen survey. This paper will focus on data related to political and legal reforms in light of the current political environment in the Middle East and North Africa. Key findings point to public support for several reforms that would lead to an enhancement in women’s rights, yet also highlights potential barriers.