Various attributes have been assigned to the recent rebellions and upheavals in the Arab World: rebellion by the young, by the disadvantaged as well as by those who had been barred or at least hindered from genuine participation in political, economic and social life. All these observations are valid, but they are not complete without looking at the other side of the coin: they also were to a large extent female.

by Gerhard Wahlers

West African Women in Politics and Society

Although no opportunity is missed for West Africa’s governments and political parties to emphasise the importance of the role of women in their countries’ future development, what is lacking, however, is the kind of recognition and political representation necessary to reflect their actual importance to society.

by Elke Erlecke

Priestesses, Princesses and Presidents?

The position of women in Senegal is often unenviable — as in many countries, they are always the first victims of poverty, violence, injustice and oppression. Despite the many mechanisms of discrimination in all areas of Senegalese society, it still possesses the fundamental requirements to achieve the effective and efficient participation of women in its political, social and economic development.

by Ute Gierczynski-Bocandé

In Turkey, the status occupied by women has repeatedly emerged in current debates. The issue of the Islamic headscarf in particular has troubled the Turkish public. Against the backdrop of frequent assaults on women, the question of domestic violence and how to prevent it is also an issue that the media repeatedly come back to. The existenceof a women’s movement is a source of hope for Turkey in this respect.

by Suna Güzin Aydemir

Insights from the Philippines

Although the Philippines is perceived as diverging from the regional norm in regard to the role of women in society generally speaking, it shares some of the disadvantages suffered by women elsewhere in the Asian region on account of gender. Even at present, Filipino women remain disadvantaged in the country’s laws pertaining to persons and family relations, for example.

by Carolina Hernandez

A country searching for its path into the future, and encountering its past as it does so

In December, the Romanians elected a new parliament — half a year after Romania’s prime minister, Victor Ponta, caused international alarm by attempting to force the country’s president to step down. The degree of indignation felt by the Romanian population can be judged most of all by the low turnout in the elections, if not in the election result itself.

by Sven-Joachim Irmer