1 Women Status in Palestine

1.1 Introduction
Saying that women are half of the society is no longer just a metaphoric to express the
position of women and the importance of its role only, official statistics have shown that
women in Palestine constitute (%49.2) of the total Palestinian population . The question
here if this was no longer an allegorical saying, what about the facts , do Palestinian
women practise the roles assigned to them, do they assume their responsibilities , and
enjoy their rights in accordance with this fact ??
The Palestinian community is part of the eastern Muslim Arab peoples in the region, taking
into account the specificity of the Palestinian case in terms of the subordination of the
Palestinian society and the Palestinian territories to the occupation and the consequent
siege and continuous attacks and wars.
This Privacy of the Palestinian case also imposed privacy in terms of the social structure of
the Palestinian community, and thus imposed its impact on the social role of women. In all
stages, women were partner in the struggle for the Palestinian, and partner in the right to
defend her territory, and did not spare an effort to prove every day that they stand on an
equal footing with men in the claim of the denied right .
However, these words may seem more like wishes, when looking profoundly in what
follows of this report - Woman Status in Palestine - to find out, the real status of
Palestinian women and the size of their participation in the labor market, thier enjoyment
of their health, education and practice of their free right to dispose their property and
inheritance. Then, if we go further looking at Palestinian Woman participation in public
life and what they were able to accomplish, in support of the prevailing saying that women
are half the society.
Then, the second part of this report sheds a light on what Islamic Relief seeks to
accomplish on the way to bridge the gap between the past and present of the Palestinian
women and what IRPAL aspire to accomplish in the near future. By integrating women in
Islamic Relief programs and projects. And, in particular in development and awareness
projects, aiming at reach an active role for women with a focus on enhancing women's
access to real participation in the fields of employment, education, health and social
participation .
It is noteworthy that Islamic Relief adopt a policy that considers gender one of the most
fundamental pillars for the growth and development of communities and takes into account
the active participation of women in shaping the future image and maping the work of
Islamic Relief for years to com.

Overview of Women Status in Palestine

1.2 Demographic situation of Women
According to data of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics late in 2011, number of
population in the Palestinian territories (Gaza Strip and the West Bank) reached (4231084)
people, (2,614,594) of them in the West Bank; rating (61.8%) and (1.61649) million in the
Gaza Strip, representing (38.2%). The percentage of female is (49.2%) to (50.8%) of male
and this rate did not change in the last five years.
This fact makes the Palestinian community characterized as a young society, where
individuals who are less than 15 years rated (40.4 %) in mid-2012 of the total population;
(% 40.7) of them are male and (% 40.2) are females. In addition, youth (15-29) years old
present (%29.8) while old people 65 years and over present only (% 2). The overall
population of Palestine in mid-2012 was (42.6 %) males and (57.4%) females.
Talking of population growth; fertility rate in the Palestinian society is still large compared
with other communities, with a total fertility rate for the entire Palestinian territories in
2010 (4.2%). In the West Bank, rate reached (3.8%), while in Gaza Strip, fertility rate
reached (4.9%); as fertility rate in the Gaza Strip is one of the highest in the world. This is
referred to females early marriage phenomenon, the desire to have male children in
addition to the customs of Palestinian family which still tends to increase the number of its
members.
Results also showed, a decline in average household size from (6.4) persons in 1997 to
(5.8) in 2011, indicating the tendency to move towards nuclear families at the expense of
extended which rate raised (%85.9) in 2010, compared to (%73.3) in 1997.

1.3 Social situation of Women

The results of the statistics showd that (%33.6) of the total number of females (12 years
and older ), never got married , this is a low rate compared with that of male, which
amounted to (%56.2); due to the tradition of early marriage in the Palestinian community,
especially for females; therefore, statistcs also showed that, percentage of married women
reached (%57.8); compared with (%56.2) among married males.
(%57.6) of females in the Gaza Strip are married compared to (%56.0) in the West Bank,
and percentage of females who never get married is less than those who never got married
the West Bank, as it reached (%35.3) and (%36.2) respectively .
The percentage of female-headed families in Palestine, raised from (%8.8) in 2007 to
(%9.3) in 2011. This rate in is higher in the West Bank than in the Gaza Strip, reaching
(%10.0) and (%7.9) respectively in 2011 .
The tradition of early marriage couses an increasing in divorce rates, as these rates in
females reached up to (%1.2); versus (%0.3) in males. On the other hand; the percentage of
widows among females is higher than this percentage for males; reaching (%7.0) for
females; versus (%0.7) for males.

1.4 Education
Palestinian women have been engaged in the field of public education along with man,
where the number of female students in various education stages reached (%50.3) of the
total number of students in Palestine. (%50.2) of them are in the West Bank and (%49.8) in
Gaza Strip, noting that the rate of literacy among women 15 years and over are
outperforming men about three times during the period 2001 -2011. These rates remains
the highest among men than women, where the percentage of literate males is (%97.7)
while in females the percentage reaches (%92.6). It worth mentioning that this ratio has
increased remarkably as the number of women who know reading and writing in 1997 was
(%79.9). It is also observed, that percentage of female enrollment at the secondary
education is higher than males; it is approximately (%54) compared to about (%46) the
same percentage is also applicable to in the primary education. However, the statistics
proved that the rate of school dropout among females at the secondary level is higher than
among males, as dropout rates among females reached(%2.1) compared to (%1.9) dropout
rate among males.
In Higher Education; the females make up (%46.9) of the total number of university
students, and (%42.9) of the total number of students in community colleges . It is
noteworthy that a clear improvement also has been registered on the enrollment of women
in higher education, growing from (%0.9) in the year 94/95 to (%1.4) late in 2012. the low
percentage of female students enrollment in higher education is referred to the tradition of
early marriage that is prevailing in the Palestinian society.
statistics also showed that the proportion of educational attainment among females is
slightly lower than in males, because of the high repetition rates among females; reaching
(%18); while this rate has declined in males for up to (%15). This is due to the habits
prevailing in the Palestinian community, as this is a masculine community, where women
are assigned to many burdens, such as home and child care. These burdens consums great
deal of time which largly affect the times of study and educational attainment.

1.5 Health
Results of statistics show that (%23.5) of females do not have any kind of health insurance;
while the rest which is (%76.5) are enjoying one of various types of insurance most of
them (%52.1) have the governmental insurance, followed by (%32.6) who enjoy insurance
of the UN Relief and Works Agency for the Palestinian refugees.
About (%36) of married women were married before the age of 18 years old, and about
(%5) are married before the age of 15 years .
(%14.3) of physicians enrolled in the Medical Association are women, compared to
(%85.7) men. The persentage of female doctors anthropologist in the West Bank (%17.8) is
higher than in the Gaza Strip; which is (%10.9).
More than (%25) of dentists enrolled in the union are women, compared with (%72.8) of
men. The persentage of female dentists in the West Bank is (%28.0) is higher than in the
Gaza Strip; which is (%25.0).
(%52.0) of nurses registered in the Nursing Association are women versus (%48.0) of men
and persentage of nurses in the West Bank is highter than in the Gaza Strip as it reached
(%62.0) and (%44.2) respectively.
(%53.0) of the registered pharmacists in the union are women, compared with (%47.0)
men. The persentage of Pharmaceutics in the West Bank is than in the Gaza Strip, as it
reach (%51.8) and (%54.0) respectively.
Caesarean deliveries constitute one of the health challenges facing women in Palestine,
where it constitute (%14) in of the total number of births in Gaza Strip and this persentage
reaches up to (%18) in the West Bank.
More than half of married women use contraceptives, distriputed as follows (%48.2) in the
Gaza Strip and (%55.1) in the West Bank.

1.6 Labor and Employment

Despite the decline in the gap between men and women participation in the labor force,
still men's participation outperforming participation of women more than 4 times in 2011.
Palestinian women contribution in various work sectors is still less than the contribution of
men. The percentage of women in the labor force is (%15.7) of the size of the labor force;
compared with (%67.7) for males; while the persentage of jobless females is (%84.3);
compared to (%32.3) males.
Women work mainly in the services sector, industry, agriculture and administrative roles.
Participation of women in the service sector recorded (%59.7), followed by the agricultural
sector which increased to (%22.2). Women cpmprise about one third of workers in the
agricultural sector (%32.3).
The highest participation rate in the labor force among women is for those with 13 years of
schooling and above, with a percentage reaching (%43.7) of the total number of women.
The highest participation in the labor force among men who is for those who have 1-6
years of study, their percentage is (%73).
Professions practiced by women are still confined to the traditional occupations, and more
than half of women are employed as technicians and specialists and one fifth of them work
in agriculture.
Statistics at the end of 2011, recorded the number of women accordigng to the case of
owning a work as follows, (%72.7) of working women are employed for a wage, compared
with (%64.1) for men, while the persentage of women entrepreneurs is (%3.9) compared
with (%7.4) for men.
The statistics of the number of workers in the private sector enterprises and the civil sector
and state-owned companies in Palestine, by region and sex for 2012, showed that (%18.1)
of the individuals working in Palestine are women compared with (%81.9) males.
Another study on the civil servants has shown that only (%12.3) of workers in the public
sector as a general manager grading A4 are women, compared with (%87.7) of men in the
same grade.
As for unemployment rate, the percentage of unemployment among women who have
completed 13 years of schooling or more is (%38.8) of women in the labor force,
compared with (%14.8) among men participating in the labor force .
The poverty rate among females in the Gaza Strip, is two times more than this among
females in the West Bank. The percentage of poor households headed by female in the
Gaza Strip is (%39.4) and (%17.5).

1.7 Women in Public life

Women's participation in civil society organizations, range between (%5 25) in the
leadership positions of the parties and the Palestinian factions.
Women membership of the administration of labors unions reaches (%7.6).
(%73.2) of the members of the student councils at Palestinian universities are women,
while male persentage is (%26.8).
The percentage of female engineers paricipating in the Engineers Syndicate is (%17.9),
(%14.3) of them are in the Gaza Strip and (%20.1) in the West Bank, compared with
(%82.1) of male engineers.
The number of female journalists is (%17.1), (%14.3) of them in the Gaza Strip and
(%85.7) in the West Bank), compared with (%82.9) of male journalists .
The number of female workers in the Judiciary was three judges out of 68 judges until
1997 with a rate of 4%, this number has increased to reach 11.3% in 2012. (%12) of it in
the West Bank and (%10) in the Gaza Strip.