Women's Political Participation in Lebanon: Perspectives from Mount-Lebanon

Although Lebanon is sometimes considered as the only democratic country in the Arab region with a free political environment and electoral system, the situation of women has not been strengthened enough for them to have a role on an equal footing with men. Lebanese women form a majority of 53% and they are actively participating in all aspects of Lebanese society. They enjoy equal constitutional rights with men and have the right to vote, hold public office, elect and be elected in municipal councils. Yet, this diagnosis, elaborated by the Committee for the Follow-Up on Women’s Issues (CFUWI) and targeting Mount-Lebanon, shows that further steps are needed to strengthen the participation of women in political life at local and national level.
The diagnosis was coordinated by the Euro-Mediterranean Women’s Foundation and the European Institute for the Mediterranean (IEMed), and is part of the Axis 1 “Strengthening the capacities of equality actors” of the Priority Solidarity Fund “Women for the future in the Mediterranean” funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, in the framework of the project “Developing Women’s Empowerment” labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean.