Challenging negative gender stereotypes of women in Lebanon

December 6, 2017

By Noura El-Turk and Doreen Khoury

Hivos partner launches media campaign highlighting the social obstacles to women’s empowerment & calls women to action to challenge stereotypes.

“Children are your sole responsibility alone.” 

“Your importance lies in your family.” 

“Who will clean if not you?”

As part of the Women Empowered for Leadership programme in Lebanon,  the Lebanese Association for Democratic Election (LADE) in collaboration with Hivos, launched an media campaign calling on women to challenge the oppressive and disempowering standards set on them by society. The video depicts the different ways women are marginalised and suffocated in a patriarchal society, and links disempowerment at home and at work to weak political participation.  When women fail to meet the social representations expected of them, they are deemed unworthy.

Through gender-based monitoring and the activities they have conducted, LADE understand well how social traditions can inhibit women’s political participation. These women regardless of their social status and wealth are subject to bias and forced life paths which furthers them from leading positions in their communities.