Integrating Women into Lebanese Politics

Keeping with the theme of women in politics, or more precisely the widespread absence of women in government, I would like to present an article about focusing on women in politics in Lebanon. Lebanon is a parliamentary democracy, and its women have been voting since 1952. Despite the legal access to political office provided Lebanese women, few have been elected to Parliament, with only 4 serving currently of 128 members.

Lebanese-American journalist Raghida Dergham is working to change this inequality by proposing what many see as a radical solution – forming a women’s political party. In a largely patriarchal society such a bold move is bold to some, radical to others. Dergham’s philosophy is that women need to be able to exert acute political pressure by organizing so that they may have real power as voters. Instead of a few strong female voices Dergham hopes to bring together Lebanese women to really push for an advancement of the status of women. The goal is to make progress by integrating women into the political process, instead of fighting for change from the outside or even working against the system.

Not all women support Dergham’s view, labeling it as counterproductive to the feminist cause. Some who oppose it are female lawmakers, such as MP Strida Geagea, who fears that a women’s party would pick candidates based on gender rather than merit. Geagea also worries that such a bold move would push Lebanese men too far, that in such a male-dominated culture a women’s party would only serve to further polarize the genders further. An alternative philosophy is that women should work harder to gain power in existing political parties and pursue public offices more aggressively.

Despite the conflict on how to address the under-representation of women, it seems clear to most that there is a problem. More interestingly is that there is a conversation of the issue in Lebanon, whereas the male domination of the US government is largely accepted. My questions are as follows: would a women’s party would be an effective vessel for change, and what percentage of representation of each gender seems fair in any government?