PALESTINIAN WOMEN

Overview

Women make up almost half of the Palestinian population - 2.30 million or 49.2% of the total estimated 4.68 million Palestinians living in the occupied territories (as of mid-2015).1 Their status in society has altered considerably during the past decades due to socioeconomic changes, increased female education and participation in social and political movements as well as the national struggle to liberate Palestine. Women in Palestine are a symbol of resilience, resistance and steadfastness, but also of suffering - and this two-fold: first, from the ongoing decades-old Israeli military occupation, where they bear most of the collective burdens that emanate from it: death and injury, forced displacement from homes, denial of basic human rights, arrests and detentions, and discrimination in almost every aspect of daily life, and secondly from within Palestinian society, where they still lack full rights and protection and are subjected to obstacles such as patriarchy, traditional social norms and a gender-based distribution of roles. While Palestinian women have made remarkable achievements, sometimes even spearheading change in their communities, and their participation in society has significantly increased in the past years, their representation and role in decision-making remains low and the need for women’s empowerment high. This bulletin aims at providing a detailed overview over the status, statistics and situation of women in present-day Palestine.