The Gender Studies Research Group hosted a seminar on “Women in Politics” in May 2, 2016, moderated by Pr. Soumaya Belhabib with the participation of Pr. Aili Mari Tripp as a guest speaker from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA, and Pr. Naima Benlarbi from Ibn Tofail University, Kénitra, Morocco. The moderator of the seminar, Pr. Soumaya Belhabib, gave the opening talk in which she expressed her thanks to the guest speaker and Pr. Naima Benlarbi for participating in the seminar and to the audience for their attendance. After that, she discussed the importance of the topic of “Women in Politics” in the MENA region and its relevance to the aims of the Gender Studies Research Group, including the promotion of ethical principles of justice, equity, human rights and democracy through education and research. She then gave the floor to the first speaker, Pr. Aili Mari Tripp.

Pr. Aili Mari Tripp delivered a presentation entitled “Women’s Political Representation in the Arab Maghreb,” which is part of the research she is undertaking on gender and politics in the MENA countries. The research question her presentation is centered on is as follows: “Why have Maghreb countries increased [women’s] political representation faster than other MENA countries?” She started her presentation with a discussion of the differences and commonalities between Maghreb countries. For instance, some of the commonalities between the Maghreb countries, according to Pr. Aili Mari Tripp, are the shared Maliki Islamic and French jurisprudence and the centralized state control over the legal system. Next, she moved to discuss her proposed answer to the aforementioned research question, that is, the factors behind the difference between the Maghreb and the rest of the MENA region in increasing women’s political representation. Moreover, Pr. Tripp questioned the treatment of oil production as a factor that explains the difference in women’s political representation in the MENA region.

After Pr. Tripp’s presentation, the floor was given to Pr. Naima Benlarbi who delivered a presentation entitled “The Political Rights of Moroccan Women.” Her presentation was divided into two parts. The first part argued for the right of Moroccan women to politics according to the sources of Islam while the second part did so according to “modern law (mainly the Constitution) and Moroccan Records of History on women’s participation.” After defining the terms politics and rights, Pr. Benlarbi moved on to discuss how the situation of Women in the Arabian Peninsula was improved with the coming of Islam, citing as evidence Ayah 71 of Surah 9 and Ayah 13 of Surah 49. Next, she discussed the idea that Islamic historical records include instances of women’s participation in the political life, such as the right to Bai’ah, using this as a supporting evidence for Islam's compatibility with women's political participation. Out of this discussion on women’s political participation throughout the history of Islam, Pr. Benlarbi concluded that “there are at least no Qur’anic verses that clearly prevent women from occupying important positions even in government especially those of leadership in Islam,” adding, “but there are some positions which raise some controversy.” Other sub-topics that Pr. Benlarbi touched upon are the questions of women’s leadership, female judges, and women in the presidency or as heads of state, citing Qur’anic verses like the story of Queen of Sheba as well scholars’ interpretations and opinions of these issues like Fatema Mernissi’s and Sheikh Al-Quaradaoui’s. After that, she moved to “the case of modern law in Morocco,” in which she discussed Moroccan women’s relation to politics in the Moroccan historical and contemporary records, concluding that “today, the 2011 constitution enshrines the principles of cultural and linguistic pluralism, individual rights and the equality of citizens – including of women and men.”

After the delivery of the two presentations, the floor was given to the audience, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students and some professors, to address their questions and comments to the speakers. Students’ comments and questions were diverse and plentiful. Their engagement in the seminar showed their enthusiasm for the issue of gender and its relation to Islam, an enthusiasm nurtured by similar academic discussions.

     The Faculty of Arts and Humanities staff from Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra held a conference on Monday, May 2nd, titled “Women in Politics”. Moderated by Professor Soumaya Belhabib, without whom the conference would not have been possible, two professors – Aili Mari Tripp from Al-Akhawayn University and Naima Benlarabi from Ibn Tofail – delivered their talks in English. The conference began after Chairwoman Belhabib warmly thanked the two professors for accepting her invitation to speak and making the event happen. She also spoke briefly about the importance of women in Middle East and North African (MENA) politics and the recent progress that has been made on this front. Afterwards, she yielded the floor to Professor Tripp to deliver her remarks. 

     Professor Tripp’s speech, titled of “Women’s Representation in the Arab Maghreb,” began by raising the following question: Why has political representation of women in Maghreb countries increased faster than other MENA countries? According to her research, there are three main reasons for this change: The increase in political opportunities and stability, the strength and autonomy of women’s movements, and elite accommodations. Afterwards, she addressed commonalties and differences among Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia based on the Imam Malik’s unified laws. Professor Tripp concluded by what explains the difference between Maghreb and rest of MENA: political opening, women’s movements and coalitions supported by donors, and political elite accommodations.  

                                  

    

     At the end of Professor Tripp’s remarks, Moderator Belhabib introduced Professor Naima Benlarabi, mentioning some of her published works and research on the topic of women’s rights in Morocco. Professor Belarabi’s talk, entitled “Women’s Rights in Morocco,” focused on the status of Moroccan women in the post-independence era. She stated that thanks to education, women have become more aware of their political rights. The speaker supported her argument with a passage from Morocco’s 1962 Constitution, Article 30: “women and men should have equal access to elected office”. She argued that Morocco’s pioneering Constitution and women’s movement were owed in part to the progressive nature of Islam, citing some of the Prophet’s sayings (Ahadiths) as well as some historical anecdotes featuring women protagonists. Subsequently, she addressed the source of women’s weakness in public life. Among the obstacles she mentioned were: Male dominance (patriarchal attitudes and society), local traditions, and high illiteracy rates among women. However, she pointed out that the new Constitution of 2011 enshrined the principals of cultural and linguistic pluralism, individual rights, and the equality of citizens, including women and men. Such royal instructions, Professor Belarabi observed, have made women more motivated than ever to claim their rights as equals. Professor Belarabi also identified King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne as another watershed moment for woman in Morocco. The King established a royal commission of religious authorities and legal experts to propose recommendations for amending the Mudawwana in accordance with religious principles. Afterwards, the King went on to tackle the issue of women occupying ‘public positions’. Citing reports from early Islamic history that refer to the participation of some women in political affairs, the King held that according to Shariah women were not to be deprived of holding elected office. Professor Belarabi concluded that as a result of women being deprived of their rights to participate in public matters, many Muslim countries remain underdeveloped and that despite the Constitution’s forward gaze, female pronouns were not as conspicuous as male pronouns in matters concerning public life. Again, she historicized this issue by providing some vivid examples of women who were compatriots of the Prophet (PBUH).

          

    Last, but not least, the conference was of great benefit and importance personally for us MA students. We got the chance to learn a bit about the status of women and their relationship with politics. The limited number of speakers who participated in this event enabled many students to reflect, comment, and ask questions. Still, I am skeptical about Professor Belarabi’s argument that Muslim countries remain underdeveloped because of local traditions and patriarchal attitudes. I believe that many Arab countries are, and will remain, underdeveloped so as long as they are undemocratic. Once they have become true democracies, women’s suffrage and political participation are unlikely to face serious barriers.

                     
Images accredited to; Issam Karram

                       

In Collaboration with the Gender Studies Research Group at Ibn Tofail University, the PLCC Faculty organized a workshop in tribute to Fatema Mernissi in March 31st, 2016 at the UIR campus. The workshop was divided into four parts: the opening session and welcoming speech (09:30 to 10:00), "Panel 1: Testimonies (10:00 to 10:50)," "Panel 2: A book of her own: Rewriting glocal feminism (11:00 to 12:00)," and "Panel 3: A dream of her own: Women’s daily battles (12:00 to 13:00)."

The opening session and welcoming speech (09:30 to 10:00) was initiated by Mr. Najib Mokhtari from UIR, who welcomed the participants and guests from UIR and ITU and read a short poem he composed in memory of Fatema Mernissi. After that, he gave the floor to Mr. Abdelaziz Benjouad, the vice president of research and development at UIR, who gave an opening talk on behalf of the president of UIR. Next, Ms. Hakima Fassi Fihri, Head of International Relations and Partnerships at IUR, took the floor, welcoming the participants and guests, and clarified the context of the workshop, that is the International Women’s Day of the 8th of March. She then gave the floor to Ms. Soumaya Belhabib, the Coordinator of the Gender Studies Research Group at ITU, who closed the opening session with a talk on the academic contribution of Fatema Mernissi and its inspirational impact on current and would-be scholars. In addition, she stated that the workshop dedicated to Fatema Mernissi is part of the mission of the Gender Studies Research Group at ITU, which is to promote “ethical principles of justice, equity, human rights and democracy through education and research in the realm of gender.” Prof. Soumaya Belhabib concluded this speech by expressing her thanks to the people who made this event possible, and welcomed the participants and guests. After that, Mr. Najib Mokhtari played a video clip that highlights the achievements of some great Moroccan and non-Moroccan women like Nawel Al Moutawakel, Aicha Ben-Chenna and Leola N. King.

                

“Panel 1: Testimonies (10:00 to 10:50)” was moderated by Mr. Mohamed El Himer, Head of the Multidisciplinary Studies Research Laboratory at ITU. In this first panel, the floor was given to speakers from different backgrounds who had a relationship, whether academic, personal or both, with the late Fatema Mernissi. The first speaker was Ms. Asmae Benadada, Sociologist at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah Dhar El Mehraz, Fez. In a talk in Standard Arabic, she paid tribute to Fatema Mernissi, listing her admirable personal and academic traits and intellectual achievement. She also expressed how inspiring Fatema Mernissi was for her academic, intellectual and feminist journey, and how influential she is in the field of sociology and gender studies. Next, the floor was given to Ms. Dima Droubi, a writer, who told her own story with the works of Fatema Mernissi, and how these works inspired her to write her novel “La Sultane du Caire.” The floor was then given to Ms. Rachida Guelzim, a textbook writer and teacher trainer at the British Council, Rabat, who told some of her personal stories with the late Fatema Mernissi, which were full of funny and inspirational anecdotes. Ms. Maria Moukrim, web editor of Febrayer.com, also told her intellectual story with Fatema Mernissi, saying that Fatema Mernissi used to encourage female journalists to pursue their intellectual and feminist aspirations. After the talk of Ms. Maria Moukrim, Ms. Dominique Benbrahim, public affairs officer in the US embassy of Rabat, and Ms. Damia Benkhouya, member of the Regional Council for Human Rights in Rabat-Kenitra, among others, paid tribute to Fatema Mernissi through their talks that recount their relationships with Fatema Mernissi, personal, academic, or both.

                            

The second and third panels as planned in the flyer were combined in one panel, which was moderated by Mr. Mustapha Bencheikh, Professor & Director of the PLCC at UIR, and Mr. Najib Mokhtari, Associate Professor in the same university. The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Mustapha Bencheikh, in which he expressed his admiration for Fatema Mernissi and appreciation of the talks given in the first sessions. Mr. Najib Mokhtari then gave the floor to Ms. Raja Rhouni, Professor at Chouaib Doukkali University, El Jadida, who gave a talk entitled “Decolonizing Feminism” based on her doctoral research on the works of Fatema Mernissi. In this talk, Ms. Raja Rhouni discussed the secular and Islamic works of Mernissi through Marnia Lazreg’s concept of decolonizing feminism. The second talk was given by Aili Mari Tripp, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and was entitled “Fatema Mernissi’s Feminism Goes West,” through which she highlighted the international influence of Fatema Mernissi, who was considered outside Morocco the spokesperson of third world women. After that, the floor was given to Mr. Mourad Mkinsi, Professor at Ibn Tofail University, Kenitra, who paid tribute to Mernissi through a talk entitled “Fatema Mernissi and the Challenge of Equality.” Prof. Mkinsi stated that Mernissi had a strategic approach in her campaign for equality, always considering how her works would be received by readers and how they would influence gender politics in Morocco. He added that she combined academic inquiry with activism, making her a true organic intellectual. The last talk was delivered by Mr. Amine Benhallam, director of Fatema Mernissi Youth Think Tank at ILCS, Rabat, under the title of “Fatema Mernissi et les sciences sociales phronétiques.” In his talk, Mr. Amine Benhallam highlighted, among other points, Fatema Mernissi’s tenacity through the character of Aisha, the central figure of her book The Veil and the Male Elite.

In conclusion, the workshop remained faithful to its aim; it did indeed pay tribute to a figure as influential as Fatema Mernissi. Except for the absence of the discussion part, the workshop was well-organized with participants, writers and academics, from different backgrounds but with a shared admiration for Fatema Mernissi as a person and intellectual. 

The study of language variation or speakers’ language choices in sociolinguistics has been conducted using different approaches or a combination of some of these approaches. This essay reviews three approaches to language variation, namely those using the notions of social class, social network and community of practice, considering their strengths and weaknesses as well as the relation between them.

Social class is one of the long-established approaches to language variation in sociolinguistics. When using social class, sociolinguists study language variation at the level of large social groups (Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 155). Generally, the use of social class in the study of language variation has helped sociolinguists find systematic correlations between class and speakers’ language choices. In so doing, it helped them make conclusions about the meanings speakers attach to different linguistic variants (p. 183). Despite that, the use of the concept of social class in sociolinguistics has received much criticism, and, as such, it has largely been substituted by other approaches (Marshal, 2004, p. 23; Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 182). The criticism levelled against the use of social class centers on its abstractness (Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 182), and large-scale application that leaves little room for analysis on the level of the individual (Marshal, 2004, p. 23).

The concept of social network was first used in social anthropology where its characteristics and conditions were specified, namely, multiplexity, frequency, density, and centrality (Marshal, 2004, p. 19). The use of social network in sociolinguistics as an analytic tool for language variation grew out of dissatisfaction with the approach of social class (Marshal, 2004, p. 23). Lesley Milroy was the first to apply this concept to the sociolinguistic study of language variation. One of the major differences between the use of social class and social network as analytic tools is that the former studies variation on the level of large social groups while the latter does so on the level of the individual and their interactions (p. 26). Milroy defines the concept of social network as used in sociolinguistics as “the relationships [individuals] contract with others . . . [reaching] out through social and geographical space linking many individuals” (as cited in Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 184). Her work in Belfast, which studied language innovation and maintenance, is a good example of the application of social network to the study of language variation (Wei, 2001, p. 894). Milroy’s central argument in this study is that there are correlations between the strength of a speaker’s network and his or her language choices, conscious and unconscious (Marshal, 2004, p. 27). In particular, Milroy maintains that the more close-knit a speaker’s network is the more faithful he or she is to vernacular norms (p. 28) and vice versa (p. 32).

The use of social network to analyze language variation received criticism in the sense that it is unable to account for loose-knit networks since it is mainly the upper and lower classes that form close-knit networks while the middle-class speakers tend to form loose-knit networks because of their high geographical and social mobility (Marshal, 2004, p. 32). Moreover, Milroy posits that the frameworks of social class and social networks are not in opposition. Rather, considering them as complementary may result in a more rigorous analysis (Marshal, 2004, p. 33; Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 185). As such, Milroy argued for connecting the two through Thomas Højrup’s concept of life modes (Meyerhoff, 2006, p. 35), which is based on the idea that different modes of production and consumption lead to different modes of life. In linking this concept to the concept of social network, Milroy maintains that these different modes of life, that stem from different modes of production and consumption, lead to different social networks, and these in turn lead to variation in linguistic behavior (Marshal, 2004, p. 36).

In the same way the use of social network in sociolinguistics grew out of dissatisfaction with the notion of social class, the concept of community of practice was introduced to the study of language variation in the beginning of the twentieth-first century as a result of dissatisfaction with the notion of social class and social network (Marshal, 2004, p. 36). While Eckert, who introduced the term to sociolinguistics, does not deny the importance of the concepts of social class and social network, she argues that the concept of community of practice has more analytic power in that it focuses on “the mutually constitutive nature of the individual, group, activity, and meaning” (as cited in Marshal, 2004, p. 36). In other words, in a community of practice, people gather around a joint enterprise and have mutual engagement, and, in doing so, they develop a shared repertoire, part of which is a shared way of using language (p. 36). As such, the concept of community of practice goes beyond that of social class in that the community may comprise people from different social classes, and goes beyond that of social network in that the community may not necessarily be dense and close-knit (p. 36). In her application of this concept, Eckert found that the more speakers are involved in their community of practice, the less linguistic innovations they adopt, a result that stems from their relatively high engagement in their community of practice in comparison to their local social networks (p. 39).

            In conclusion, throughout its history, the study of language variation has been conducted using different approaches, most influential of which are the approaches centered on the notions of social class, social network and community of practice. The use of social class attempts to show the correlations between the social classes of speakers and their language choices. While this approach has provided much insight into language variation, it has been criticized as too abstract. The concept of social network was borrowed from anthropology by sociolinguist Milroy out of dissatisfaction with the concept of social class. Applications of this concept show that, as opposed to loose-knit networks, close-knit social networks tend to resist linguistic innovations. Later on, Milroy argued for treating the concepts of social class and social networks as complementary, and did so through integrating the concept of life modes with that of social network. However, in the beginning of the twentieth century, it was argued that the concept of community of practice is more adequate for the study of language variation than the previous concepts in that language users tend to be influenced more by their communities of practice than by their social classes or social networks.

References

Marshal, J. (2004). Theoretical Background and Previous Research. In Language Change and Sociolinguistics: Rethinking Social Networks. Palgrave Macmillan.

Meyerhoff, M. (2006). Social Class. In Introducing Sociolinguistics. New York: Routledge.

Meyerhoff, M. (2006). Social networks and Communities of Practice. In Introducing Sociolinguistics. New York: Routledge.

Wei, L. (2001). Leslie Milroy. In R. Mesthrie (Ed.), A Concise Encyclopedia of Sociolinguistics. Elsevier.

Desrues, T., & Nieto, M. J. (2009). The development of gender equality for Moroccan women – illusion or reality? Journal of Gender Studies, 18(1), 25-34.

            The article under review is written by Thierry Desrues and Juana Moreno Nieto and published in the Journal of Gender Studies by Routledge. As its title suggests, the aim of the article is to examine whether the development of gender equality in Morocco is an illusion or reality. In the abstract and introduction, the authors further clarify this aim, stating that they attempt to analyze the extent to which the situation of Moroccan women has improved and whether there is “real change” (Desrues & Nieto, 2009, pp. 25-26). In the abstract, the authors state their two findings. The first is that “although real progress has been made over the last 50 years, there is still much more to be achieved.” The second is that “there are indications that the incipient participation by women in the public sphere too often continues to reproduce schemes of subordination” (p. 25). Considering social change as a multidimensional process, the authors divide their analysis into four sections, each dealing with one broad dimension. This review keeps the same organization; a summary and critique of each section is provided before moving to the following section.

Socio-demographic variables of change

            The first section, entitled “Socio-demographic variables of change,” includes three subsections, each analyzing one socio-demographic variable. First of all, it should be noted that the authors moved directly to the analysis without providing a literature review, given that they are speaking of findings, hence the need for a review of previous findings. Concerning the section in question, the authors open it with the broad, unsupported statement that “wide consensus exists regarding the socio-demographic variables that play a key role in identifying the processes of social change” (p. 26), to justify their choice of the three variables they are about to analyze. These socio-demographic variables are “access to education, the postponement of marriage and declining average number of children per women, as well as the effects that these phenomena have on the concept of family” given that they are “some of the most relevant factors for understanding the situation of women” (p. 26).

            In the subsection entitled “Education: the driving force behind change,” the authors use statistics from official reports and other references about “schooling and diminishing drop-out rates” in K-12 and higher education and compare the percentages of the two sexes in the post-independence as well as contemporary Morocco (pp. 26-27). Concerning contemporary Morocco, the statistics cited by the authors show that there is a very insignificant discrepancy between the sexes in terms of access to education, especially in urban areas (pp. 26-27). The authors conclude, “the progress made since independence in terms of education is real, but continues to be insufficient, especially with regard to women in rural areas” (p. 27). It should be noted that this subsection has few weaknesses. For instance, contrary to the authors’ idea that education “constitutes a true break with the past” (p. 26), K-12 and higher education in Morocco, being unsecular, is arguably used for patriarchal indoctrination. In other words, Moroccan girls have equal access to education, but they are not educated to believe in total gender equality. Another weakness is that the authors consider the variables of access to jobs and political participation as merely derivatives of the variable of education. Instead of treating them as separate variables, given their importance, they very briefly analyze them at the end of the subsection on education. 

            In the second subsection, entitled “Changes in family size and composition,” the authors use family size and composition as the second socio-demographic variable for evaluating the development of gender equality in Morocco. Using statistical evidence, the authors affirm that there is a shift “from large to small families” and “from multigenerational to nuclear households” as well as a decrease in the number of children per woman, concluding that such shifts indicate “the growing power of women as wives” (p. 28). However, since the aim of the article is to evaluate gender equality in Morocco, it should be noted that while changes in family size and composition may be a sign of the improvement of Moroccan women’s situation, as the authors state, these changes are not necessarily a sign of the rise of equality-based families. Nuclear families are rising, but there remains the question of whether these families are based on the principle of complementarity or equality, a question a quantitative approach may not adequately answer.

            In the third subsection, entitled “The postponement of marriage,” the authors use the postponement of marriage as a socio-demographic variable for evaluating the development of gender equality in Morocco. Using statistical evidence for the growing tendency among Moroccan young people to postpone marriage, the authors develop the idea that such tendency indicates that the institution of marriage in Morocco is being questioned. Yet, the postponement of marriage does not mean “[the] norm is being questioned” (p. 28), nor is it a sign of the development of gender equality. Rather, arguably, the phenomenon is largely a result of socio-economic factors, mainly education and unemployment, the latter of which is considered by the authors as merely part of “other factors” (p. 29). The authors end the subsection with a statistics-based claim without evidence in terms of citation or primary research, only to conclude that “women continue the social trend of marrying older men. If this is the case, it would suggest that hegemonic structures are still being reproduced on some level, where the husband’s authority is grounded in age rather than as solely a product of his gender” (p. 29). Contrary to this statement, what gives Moroccan males their authority in marriage is not their old age but the very status of being an adult male.

Feminist mobilization

            Having analyzed the three socio-demographic variables, the authors move on to the second section entitled “Feminist mobilization.” In this section, they provide a brief review of feminist mobilization in post-independence and contemporary Morocco. The section opens with the idea that the limited access to education by women since independence paved the way for the emergence of educated female elite, some of whom became feminist activists organized under associations like the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM) and the Women’s Action Union (UAF) (p. 29). After that, the authors discuss the role of current women’s associations in continuing the feminist battle and their interactions with international feminist and human rights organizations (p. 29). The section closes with a discussion of the achievements of Moroccan feminist associations, some of which are that they managed to make women’s right a public issue rather than a taboo and that their mobilization was appropriated by the king who reserved 30 seats for women from a national list for the elections to the Chamber of Representatives in 2002 and launched the drafting of the new family code in 2003 (pp. 29-30).

The new Family Code

            In the third section, entitled “The new Family Code,” the authors discuss the strengths and limitations of Morocco’s latest family code (2004). They cited one list of the achievements and another of the limitations of the family code (pp. 30-31). The authors affirm that the positive changes brought by the family code are many, at least in theory, but the code has serious limitations (p. 31). The limitations concern legal guardianship of children, repudiation, separation by compensation, inheritance, polygamy, and toleration of certain cases of underage marriage (p. 31). The section closes with a discussion of the difficulties of application of the new code and resistance from conservatists (p. 31).

Opinions about women’s place in society

            The fourth and last section, entitled “Opinions about women’s place in society,” is motivated by the idea that “the extent to which the situation of women in Morocco has changed needs further interrogation,” and that “a subjective dimension should be considered” (p. 31). To this end, the authors use data from the World Values Survey (2001) with the aim of taking into account Moroccans’ opinion about women’s place in society. After summarizing the statistical data, the authors conclude that “although the incorporation of women in the public sphere does not meet with complete rejection, women remain perceived as subordinate to men and their incorporation is in turn conditioned by this subordination” (p. 32).

In the conclusion, the authors provide a summary of their analysis, but it is a summary that highlights some conclusions while overlooks some major ones reached in the analysis, such as the ones on political participation and postponement of marriage (p. 32). The summary is headed by the statement: “In spite of the progress made since independence, the situation of women in Morocco is far from egalitarian” (p. 32). The authors end the article with recommendations for studying “the newly articulated situation” of Moroccan women “in a context such as Morocco that is replete with uncertainties” (p. 32).

To summarize this  review, it can be said that the article is based on the truism that “although real progress has been made over the last 50 years, there is still much more to be achieved” (p. 25), which is true for most Muslim-majority and other third world countries. Truisms are of course worthy of study, but this article provides a very modest analysis of this truism, which may be ascribed to its heavy use of statistics as well as the weaknesses discussed throughout this review and summarized here. The authors speak of findings, but they did not provide a literature review of previous findings on gender equality in Morocco. Besides, they failed to justify their choice of the selected socio-demographic variables. Added to these are the several weaknesses in the subsections on education, family size and composition, and postponement of marriage.

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