Women’s rights in Lebanon – a long road ahead

ENAR

As a Lebanese woman who has lived in this country all my life, I have always felt relatively lucky. Sure, I’ve experienced verbal sexual harassment from uncouth men on the street and the occasional government official, but such incidents are experienced in many other countries and I consider them minor grievances. I used to believe that, in comparison to other Arab countries in the region, I was lucky to be born in Lebanon where I enjoy such freedoms as dressing in whatever manner I please, driving my own car and traveling without a male guardian. But as I grow older and contemplate starting my own family, my needs from my country and my perceptions of freedom have changed. I am not certain I am lucky in Lebanon after all. It angers me that, by Lebanon’s law, should I choose to marry a non-Lebanese I will not be able to give