Palestinian Women: Is there a Unitary Conception of Rights?

Abstract

Palestinian women’s participation in the resistance against the Israeli occupation, most notably during the first Intifada (1987-93), has been characterised as broad and active, particularly at grass roots level. This participation gave rise to claims for gender equality and more social and political power for women. This paper is based on fieldwork conducted mainly in two villages in the Ramallah district in the spring of 2004, and concerns “ordinary” Palestinian women’s views on what women’s rights are and how they perceive their own rights situation. The term “ordinary” in this respect refers to rural women outside of political organisations, whether secular or religious. These women do not participate in any of the many women’s rights advocacy groups that exist in Palestine. My material shows that while there seems to be an agreement among women that their rights situation is not ideal, there is neither a consensus as to what women’s rights are nor how such rights can be achieved. Furthermore, there is a marked difference in how women’s rights are understood between women belonging to the urban elite and their rural sisters.