Lebanon

Out of the 587 candidates running in the Lebanese parliamentary elections this year, only 12 are women.

In Lebanon’s June 7 parliamentary poll, women represent only two percent of the candidates, many of them with family names that have been appearing on ballots for generations.
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One can be born in Lebanon and live here all one's life, and still not be a Lebanese citizen. Lebanon is one of few remaining countries in the Middle East where a mother is unable to pass citizenship to her children.

Caretaker Finance Minister Raya al-Hasan expressed her hope for national legislation on a quota for women’s representation in Parliament, the National News Agency reported Thursday.

Women’s rights groups have this week celebrated the approval of several legal amendments by the parliamentary committee on justice and the parliamentary budget committee that would bring the country closer to legal gender equality if passed by Parliament.

BEIRUT: For all its virtues, Lebanese society continues to be heavily influenced by patriarchal culture, making it a daunting challenge for women to achieve political influence and power. Yet change may be in the offing.

16 Mar 2012 - The Arab Spring continues to blow winds of change in the Middle East. There is no doubt the direction these countries are heading in will affect Arab societies and personal rights. But recently, the focus has been on women in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

The number of Lebanese women elected to municipal offices more than doubled this year, increasing from the 201 elected in 2004 to 530 who were successful in this year’s polls.