Palestinian and Israeli women are neighbors but with different social backgrounds!" said the participants in the Seminar on the Changing Roles of Women in Society. "We have to build bridges between us. Every woman has a wide circle of influence, beginning at home and moving through family, friends and neighbors to the wider community. It is therefore vital that we all speak up and speak out!" they concluded.
This conclusion was reached by 32 professional women, half of whom came from seven towns throughout the Palestinian Authority. They included teachers, social workers, businesswomen and engineers. The other participants represented 10 Clubs in the Israel Union of Soroptimist International, a worldwide organization for women in management and the professions, working through service projects to advance the human rights and the status of women.
The three-day Seminar on Changing Roles was planned in collaboration with the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center (MCTC), which functions in the framework of the Center for International Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV), the Israeli Union of Soroptimist International and the Mayor of Haifa's Commission on the Status of Women. It was coordinated and moderated by Fannette Modek, former MCTC Director and Senior Advisor to MASHAV on Gender Issues.
The participants were welcomed by Mazal Renford, MCTC Director, who pointed out that though the Center has already hosted several workshops for Palestinian professionals, this Seminar was the first joint Israeli/Palestinian women's dialogue. In the plenum and group discussions, over lunch and coffee, the participants found that they have a lot in common and the lively informal conversations almost jeopardized the timing of the formal presentations! The lecturers, who came from the Israeli Arab and Jewish sectors as well as the Palestinian Authority, addressed subjects linked to the productive, reproductive and community leadership roles of women. Through personal accounts and use of case studies, the panelists traced the arduous path family and society must take to change the stereotypes associated with women's roles.
Even in a relatively developed society such as Israel, patriarchal values (in both the Jewish and Arab sectors) change very slowly. In small group discussions, seminar participants had the opportunity to recall their own and the experiences of others when they, as children or young women, first felt the weight of the externally imposed stereotyped female role. There was general agreement that when young women have to choose between submission and independence, the price they pay is heavy. Yet achieving the right balance between work and family responsibilities is the criterion for successful change.
Seminar participants rejected the stereotype that women cannot think for themselves, have no judgment or are incapable of internalizing and defending a value system.
On another note, with the life expectancy of women rising to 78 years of age, women face a longer period of activity after the child-bearing years and need to become knowledgeable about the medical advances that will permit them to enjoy quality of life while continuing to contribute to society. Unfortunately, women tend to internalize the prime importance that society has placed on their child-bearing role, to the extent that they neglect their own health needs and desires.
It was said that society assigns gender roles from the moment of conception, as seen in the attitudes and behavior of families, while they await the birth of a boy or of a girl, or at the birth and in the early years. Another panelist, however, looked to the schoolroom for an explanation why boys and girls who enjoyed the same quality and length of schooling were not achieving the same positions at week or in public life. Her research showed that teachers, who considered themselves unbiased to gender, actually behaved in ways that enhanced boys' achievements over those of girls. They called on the boys first, they encouraged boys to "recall" the right answer, they assumed girls knew less mathematics, the boys handled laboratory apparatus, the girls looked on. In other words, they expected less from the girls, and the girls responded to their expectations.
Two panelists referred to the world of work where the revolutionary development of science and technology has turned the workplace from one of hard labor to one whose physical environment can be as esthetic as one's home. Work can increase the sphere of human relations, reduce boredom and extend the possibility for human creativity, for men as well as women.
Self-employment is a creative income alternative for women that requires complete devotion, many skills and a supportive environment for entrepreneurs who are just starting out. The lecturer reported from her research in the Palestinian Authority on the obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs in the formal sector. Apart from women's lack of business management skills, financial resources and marketing skills, commercial banks require guarantees of property which few women have because of traditional inheritance laws, and to register the business, two signatures must be affixed including a man's. The result is that most businesswomen operate in the informal sector, and most women earning an income outside the home, work in factories or for sub-contractors.
With all that, life is changing for Palestinian women. Collective production centers have been started with adjoining kindergartens, more girls are attending university and local women's clubs organize lectures and assistance programs for women.
The last theme examined was Human Rights are Women's Rights. The lecturer pointed out that the reason women are not enjoying more rights is that not all societies accept the universality of the concept and that not all governments are committed to implementing the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) or the later Vienna Declaration (1993), which called for more women in decision-making bodies of governments and international organizations. Therefore, it is essential that national and international women's organizations such as Soroptimist International keep the issue of women's rights on their own agenda and those of the relevant decision-makers.
In conclusion, the participants felt that women have been neglected because they tend to be shy and too hesitant to speak up and, to counter this, a start must be made in the home. Boys and girls growing up should be given the same duties, privileges and responsibilities. Controversial issues such as: violence in the home, discrimination in the workplace, harassment, etc., should be brought out in the open.
All recognized the centrality of women's role for healthy societies and the need to re-enforce their capacities. However, there was general acknowledgement that the men partners at all levels must be kept informed, involved and associated with women's projects and objectives. This gradually will change men's and women's perceptions of each other and of themselves in the desired direction.
As Na'ama Grinshpan, the President of the Israel Union /Soroptimist International said at the closing, "A big step was taken for Women and the Culture of Peace!" The participants separated with a promise to continue the dialogue, next time in the Palestinian Authority.