"The patriarchal Jordanian community always gives men priority. This is a big obstacle for women who might, in some cases, do a better job than men," he said while, at the same time, noting that "there are some women in certain organisations who give a negative impression and that affects all women".
"Withdrawing the agreed decision on setting the marriage age at 17 is possible. The MPs who agreed on it might change their minds," he said.
Horiah said that before the reunification of Yemen in 1994, the law set the marriage age at 15 in southern and northern parts of the country. But five years later the law was amended and a girl's custodian had the authority to decide if a girl should marry.
52 percent of 6,000 female respondents were married underage.
A 2007 report by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) ranked Yemen 13 out of 20 worst countries in terms of the prevalence of child marriage. The report said 48.4 percent of women were married before 18.
A 2007 report by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) ranked Yemen 13 out of 20 worst countries in terms of the prevalence of child marriage. The report said 48.4 percent of women were married before 18.
The present world population is 7.1 billions, which is growing at the rate of 97 millions people per year will touch 8.5 billion by the year 2025. About 95 per cent of the population growth will be in the developing countries.
Harriet Harman, the minister for Women, has renewed her attack on the financial industry, describing it as a "breeding ground for discrimination", after it emerged that women working in the City were being paid as much as 60 per cent less than their male counterparts.
Of the 20 nations with the fewest women in their parliaments, nine are Arab or Islamic. There are no women in the parliaments of Qatar or Saudi Arabia.
The new Moroccan family law was designed to give women equal rights in the family.
But five years after its introduction, Moroccan women leaders say opposition to the law from politicians and within the judicial system persists, and the new law has not been able to change Moroccan mentality.
Five courageous women from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Cambodia, Congo and Hillary Clinton were honored in an international event for their remarkable efforts and struggle to empower other women and spread democracy, none from the Arab world though
Arab women in the Gulf States have made small but notable gains in the past five years, according to a new Freedom House study of women's rights in the region. The nongovernmental organization conducts studies and creates programs to promote freedom and democracy around the world.
More than half of the 95 cases of domestic workers' deaths in Lebanon are considered "suicide," and according to a 2008 Human Rights Watch report at least one domestic worker dies in Lebanon every week.
Houri said it is only the beginning of what is yet to come.
Future actions are being prepared in collaboration with more foreign domestic workers. According to Houri most of the women are afraid to appear in the media forcing workers to organize in public places such as churches or markets.
This action is the first of its kind in Lebanon, and occurs as human rights groups note a growing street-buzz about the "import market" of domestic workers from impoverished eastern African and south-eastern Asian countries.
More than half of the 95 cases of domestic workers' deaths in Lebanon are considered "suicide," and according to a 2008 Human Rights Watch report at least one domestic worker dies in Lebanon every week.
"We talk about forced marriage that happens in our country of origin," Habchi said. "Perhaps we can use that - the fact that I'm also Algerian and other women in our movement are also Moroccan, French and Moroccan, European and Moroccan. We can use that to work in the country of origin."
Hardline Saudi clerics have called on the government to ban women from appearing on television and to prohibit their images in print media, which they called a sign of growing "deviant thought."
The law makes it illegal for Shia Muslim women in the country to refuse to have sex with their husbands and restricts their rights outside the home as well.
There is no restriction on women standing in this year's presidential election, a spokesman for constitutional watchdog the Guardians Council said, according to a Mehr news agency report on Saturday.
Women in the Middle East are now gradually gaining a foothold in the political and business arena, top female leaders told the 11th Global Businesswomen and Leaders Summit yesterday.
the women participation in politics in Algeria remains "in its lowest rate", though Algeria is considered as the first Arab country, in which a woman is leading a political party, while the women's participation in Parliament, did not exceed 3.2% in 1997. Such a rate is low if compared with the flourishing days of political pluralism the then, while this rate increased in 2002, to reach 6%, and 8% in 2007.
A snapshot of the issues around the media's portrayal of women and girls-from effects on body image and self-identity to ramifications in sports and politics.