Human Rights: Women's Rights in Morocco

**Basic Rights: Health, Safety, Education**:

Morocco is a Northern African country that is both modern and traditional. The Gender Gap Index, according to the World Economic Forum, is measured by comparing the levels of “economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment” between men and women (“Appendix”, “Morocco”). This index ranked Morocco at 127, compared to Lebanon’s ranking of 117 and Yemen’s 134 (“Morocco”). In other words, the higher the ranking, the greater the level of inequalities. For reference, according to the WEF, Yemen is the country with the highest gender gap index at 134. Unfortunately, there are still great gender disparities in Morocco. For example, the youth literacy rate for women is 72% compared to men’s 87%. This showcases how young girls in Morocco may not be encouraged to attend school or may drop out to attend family matters. Additionally, safety is an area of concern for women in Morocco since there is now law that makes domestic violence illegal. Lastly, women’s health is also an issue that can be worked on given the fact that only 63% of births are attended by a skilled medical professional. Although Morocco can still improve in many ways to support its women, there is freedom of movement, meaning that women are able to travel freely without a man (ibid).

**Political Participation**:

The Borgen Project, a non profit organization that fights to end poverty, provides helpful information to further understand the status of Moroccan women’s role in realms such as politics. Firstly, women in Morocco gained the right to vote as well as the right to run for a political position in 1963 (Thelwell, 2020). Although the country has made some progress, in 2018 only 81 seats out of 395 (or 20%) parliamentary seats were held by women (ibid). However, that isn’t too far off from the United States, a supposedly much more liberal country, who only has 144 of 539 seats filled by women (around 27%) (Blazina & Desilva, 2021).

**Economic Mobility**:

The United States Agency for International Development ranks Morocco “141 out of 149 countries in women’s economic participation and opportunity”, a notably low ranking (Thelwell, 2020). Additionally, women make up “50% of Morocco’s population but only 26% of the labor force” (ibid). Unfortunately, this number has decreased in the 2000s. Overall, Moroccan women do not have the same opportunities and resources to become involved and give back to their country. This is a missed opportunity because they would be an extra facet of the workforce as well as a new perspective that could contribute to the future of the country. That being said, there is some good news, Morocco’s 2011 Constitution has made strides to better girls’ education in the following years which would not only improve the lives of women, but foster a more informed and educated society (ibid).

**References**

Appendix b: The global gender gap index: Methodology and technical notes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2020/appendix-b-the-global-gender-gap-index-methodology-and-technical-notes/#:~:text=2%20Following%20a%20methodology%20originally,women%20and%20men%20in%20the

Blazina, C., & DeSilver, D. (2021, January 22). A record number of women are serving in the 117th Congress. Retrieved April 16, 2021, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/01/15/a-record-number-of-women-are-serving-in-the-117th-congress/

Morocco MENA Gender Equality Profile: Status of Girls and Women in the Middle East and North Africa. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/gender/files/Morroco-Gender-Eqaulity-Profile-2011.pdf

Thelwell, K. (2020, October 31). The status of women's rights in Morocco. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from https://borgenproject.org/womens-rights-in-morocco/