صورة المرأة في العالمين العربي والغربي The image of women in the West and Arab world

The image of the Arab woman differs from the image of the international or Western woman in the media and in real life. There is no doubt that there is a difference between the image of women in the West and the Middle East, especially in the field of politics and the media. On the contrary, there are also some similarities.

Firstly, we need to focus on the importance of women in politics. Throughout history, women have struggled due to gender inequality. Women's movements have organized multiple conferences and a women's union. It is well known that the Western feminist movements have played an important role throughout history. They have contributed not only to refuting the stereotypes of women, but also to gaining the right to vote, for example in 1918 in Britain.

In addition, Arab women have taken the opportunity to contribute to women's freedom. For example, Tarab Abd al-Hadi played an important role in politics and in the liberation of women in Palestine. She founded the Palestinian Arab Women's Conference, the first women's association in this country. She helped found the Arab Women's Association and led the first women's demonstration against the Israeli occupation.

Moreover, the educated woman in her own right represents the importance of women in society and contributes greatly to the perception of the role of women. They are essential in refuting stereotypes, aiming for complete freedom in all countries. In Al Jazeera, for example, women speak, write and work like all men.

Likewise, we see independent and liberated women through social media, especially since there is no strong censorship in Western countries. Women's clothing in films and the media is the reflection of society and the ideas and religion of people in the country. A Muslim woman wears the hijab and the abaya, and a Western woman wears European clothes, so we see the influence of the West in society. It is possible for a woman to wear whatever she wants, and we see many of the views and traditions of women in the world through clothing. This shows the two cultures, and leads to multiple images of women.

By contrast, we see persistent gender inequality among girls and children. The girl plays an important role in spreading ideas about women. Using social media now is a double-edged sword. From my point of view, we can use it to spread information and share ideas, but for many people, it is the primary source of the negative stereotype of women, in both the Arab and Western world.

​In short, the image of women differs from one country to another. The goal now is to dispel the negative stereotype, many of us are working toward the same dream. ​

Image by master1305 via freepik.com

​إرين واكس
​Erin Waks

Year abroad editor