The news that the Muslim Brotherhood-backed candidate Mohamed Morsi won the Egyptian presidential election continues a trend wherein Islamist parties seem to be rising into the political space created by last year's Arab uprisings. This development likely has caused concern not only among western observers and the secular-minded, but also among women's rights activists.
Dalia Mogahed, a subject-matter expert at Gallup focused on Muslim and Arab societies, discussed views on religion in the region and the implications that the free election of Islamist parties has for the future of gender equality in the region at the event releasing Gallup's latest report, "After the Arab Uprisings: Women on Rights, Religion, and Rebuilding."
"There is simply no relationship between support for religious law and support for women's rights," said Mogahed. Gallup data show that among supporters of Egypt's leading liberal and Islamist parties, views on women's rights are almost identical, with 83% of supporters of the liberal Free Egyptians Party and 82% of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party agreeing that women should have the same rights as men. Instead, what appears to be a much stronger driver of supporting equal rights for women is education among men. "The higher the level of men's education, the higher their support for women's rights," remarked Mogahed.
Mogahed pointed out that while Gallup data show men and women in Arab uprising countries are equally supportive of sharia law, significant gender gaps still remain. Women in Arab uprising countries are significantly more supportive of women's right to initiate divorce and hold any job outside of the home than are men. She said allowing women to play an integral role in interpreting religious principles would likely moderate the role of religious law in Arab uprising countries and better ensure gender equality.
Countering perceptions that an Islamist victory is evidence of a wide mandate to push a religious agenda, both Egyptian men and women report the top concerns facing their families in the same order: 1) inflation, 2) unemployment, 3) lack of affordable food, and 4) security. "What there is broad consensus on among both men and women is that economic issues are now the highest priority," said Mogahed. This suggests that Islamist parties will likely be judged more for their ability to solve practical economic problems than to implement sharia law.
Based on these findings, Mogahed recommends that policymakers allow women in Arab uprising countries to determine their own priorities, rather than push aggressively for social change. The findings suggest encouraging overall human development and education is more likely to improve the situation of women than focusing on the role of sharia law.
View the presentation deck and the report released during the event.
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