Women in Palestine

Ramallah woman in embroidered costume, sometime between 1929 and 1946 Palestinian women have for a long time been involved in resistance movements in Palestine as well as in Jordan , Syria , and Lebanon . They established many female nationalist organizations, including the Palestinian Federation of Women's Action Committees in the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the change in parental views, however, contemporary women in Palestine are reported to be experiencing adversity due to political discord, Israeli occupation , and the "denial of full rights and protection by Palestinian society" in general. One of the main determinants of the role of Palestinian women is the structure of the family which may be a nuclear unit, a transitional unit, or a hamula unit ( hamula means "extended family", the most common family structure in Palestinian society). The significant influences to the rights of women in Palestine include the patriarchal tradition and the teachings of the Quran among Muslim Palestinians or the Bible among Palestinian Christians . On the other hand, female Palestinians were not expected to secure income for the family, but women were expected to adapt to the customary roles of women in Palestinian society. However, females are traditionally equal to men in all aspects. However, there had been a gradual change in the attitudes of parents regarding the education of their Palestinian daughters since the middle of the 1970s. From the middle part of the 1970s, several numbers of Palestinian women achieved education from universities, instead of only receiving education at the secondary level. Reasons for the change of parental attitude were the "increased demand for women on the labour market", changes in the status of the economy in the West Bank territory, the "economic interests" of the parents, and the idea that a well-educated Palestinian woman has a better place and opportunity on the "marriage market". In addition to this, armed with earned education, an unmarried daughter can financially support herself and her parents. A survey by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics from 2011 showed that 35 percent of married women in Gaza had been on the receiving end of physical violence by their husband during the previous twelve months, and that 40 percent of unmarried women had been physically abused by a member of their household. In 2013, UNRWA canceled its annual marathon in Gaza after Hamas rulers prohibited women, including Palestinian women from Gaza, to participate in the race.

Overview of the lives of women in Palestine Ramallah woman in embroidered costume, sometime between 1929 and 1946 The lives of Palestinian women have transformed throughout many historical changes including Ottoman control, the British Mandate , and Israeli occupation . The founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964 and the later establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 also played a role in redefining the roles of women in Palestine and across the Palestinian diaspora. Women have been involved in resistance movements in Palestine, Jordan , Syria , and Lebanon throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century.

Portrait by the American Colony Photo Department of an Arab woman from Ramallah dressed in a traditional embroidered costume, taken sometime between 1929 and 1946. Palestinian women have played an important role in the region throughout many historical changes including Ottoman control, the British Mandate , and Israeli control . Women were involved in the founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964 and the later establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, working to shape and redefine the roles of women in Palestine and across the Palestinian diaspora. Arab women have been involved in resistance movements in Palestine, Jordan , Syria , and Lebanon throughout the 20th century and into the 21st century.