Why are Lebanese women not present in the Parliament?. (c2021)

Abstract

Why are Lebanese women not present in parliament? The literature that tries to explain the low presence of Lebanese women in the parliament offers several explanations that present an academic understanding of this issue. However, after reviewing this literature, it became manifest that it does not study in depth the position of Lebanese women activists in this regard. Thus, this thesis aims to fill this methodological gap by asking Lebanese women activists about the factors that are behind the low presence of women in the Lebanese parliament. This thesis argues that without understanding their position on the matter, the literature might miss valuable input from important stakeholders on explaining why Lebanese women are not being able to reach the parliament. This thesis provides a bridge between the views of academics with those of activists following three steps. First it asks Lebanese women activists the question on what are the factors behind the low number of Lebanese women in the parliament. Then it compares their answers with what the academic literature has been saying about this topic. Finally, it will present the factors proposed by the activists that the academic literature needs to further study.