New Lebanese Government Cabinet Formed with No Women
Premier Najib Mikati has announced the formation of a new cabinet (after months of deliberation) of 30 ministers. Check list in Arabic and English. The new cabinet has no women ministers. That’s zero, nil, nothing. The previous cabinet had two women ministers. This one has none.
Needless to say the women’s movement rejects this total alienation of women from the cabinet and in the Lebanese political arena in general. And yet, it comes as no surprise that our sectarian political system continues to place religious quotas as a priority over the representation and issues of any group in Lebanon. From minority groups to even majority groups, we are still unable to form strong lobbies to demand a share in this country’s decision-making spheres. Women’s issues have no representatives and neither do youth issues or social issues in a cabinet of ministries that are supposed to work on specialized sectors that run and govern the country.
In the past women have been used as “decorative” elements of Parliament and Cabinet and now, we don’t even have that. Perhaps it is a good thing to lose anyway. All political engagement in Lebanon remains paralyzed by sectarian feuds and polarized by the March 8 / 14 alliances.
Category: The Feminist House
who gives a flying fuck? as if Rayya Elhassan was a feminist representative carrying women’s issues to “decision-making spheres”… this topic should be angled in a way to encourage feminist activism at a grassroots level, and not just lament the lack of “decorative” aspects of Lebanese traditional politics..
I suggest, who ever you are… to respond politely in public… You’re right, it’s probably not the time to bring such an issue up… but the lack of women (according to educated and civilized countries) is a bad indicator… Diversity is always an important thing in every aspect (again in civilized countries)… But I am sure the Lebanese who are in power don’t fall under the “civilized” category… and those who blindly talk impolitely about others opinion, are a living proof of how mature my country is…
There is no such thing as “not the right time” for women to be represented in the political sphere. We have been hearing this for decades, and given the political instability of Lebanon, there will never be a “right time” for women in politics. It should be happening today. But I wonder, how many families encourage their daughters to get into politics actively? Few women have that ambition for many reasons, one of which is that there are so few role models. The word “decorative” applies only in the past. More recently, we’ve had respectable, strong women in government. Either way, we need them in power to represent half the population, and as role models for us and our children. In this small country, there are quotas for every possible religious sect, why not add women to that list of quotas?
[...] im Libanon ein neues Kabinett mit immerhin 30 Minister_innenposten angekündigt. Nur dass diesmal keine einzige Ministerin nominiert wurde. Nicht mal mehr die beiden letzten „Deko-Ministerinnen“ sind dabei, kritisiert [...]