Women march on

ENAR

Every March 8 the United Nations marks International Women’s Day to highlight the progress women have made towards equality with men and drawing attention to the challenges women continue to face across the world — the societal pressures, prejudices and violence subjugating them. Executive set out to mark the occasion by exploring the sadly inadequate engagement of women in the Lebanese workplace, and identifying some who have broken past discriminatory laws and prejudices to rise to the top of male dominated fields. The societal expectations prevailing within Lebanon and across the region, as well as the subjugation and violence women face, underline women’s rights as a critical issue, but one that is not often a priority. What is clear is that the women of the Middle East continue to live in patriarchal societies where at one end, the violence — including harassment, assault, mutilation, rape and murder —