Women Media & Development

Development

Despite the existence of restrictions on Palestinian political rights, Palestinian society is mainly governed and driven by politics. Due to this focus on political issues - especially this year with the changes in the parliamentary headship and the internal conflicts on the political scene, social issues are not appropriately tackled or taken into serious consideration.

Palestinian conservative society

During the past six decades, specifically since 1948, up until the outbreak of the first Palestinian Intifada in 1987, the Palestinian society confronted great difficulties that resulted in the increase of conservatism, which eventually played an influential role in Palestinian society.

The Palestinian society is confronted with a number of internal changes such as:

Increase of early, forced and inter-relatives marriages;
Increase of the number, and influence of, some religious and conservative groups;

Increase in the number of influential groups conducting meetings all over the West Bank to influence the population especially university students, with ideas such as, inequality between men and women, less mixed groups activities, confinement of women’s role and place within society to preserve their values, and control over women’s movements.

The aim of some conservative and religious groups within the Palestinian population is to melt their conservative position and convictions into society in order to lead the population, in the name of tradition, moral or religion, to adopt this conservative way of thinking and living.

Regardless of these fundamental rights restrictions, a modern society can be built and modern practices can be achieved successfully.

The role of women and their involvement can transform society substantially, paving the way for gender equality and women empowerment, which is a fundamental aspect for achieving sustainable human development, as no social development will be performed when half of the society is maintaining constrained apart.