ABSTRACT
The inequalities that women face in the Middle East have been the subject of debate for decades. Despite the growth in the economies and the improvement in the living standards of Arab states, many women still face discrimination similar to that faced centuries ago. Not only did the uprisings that began in Tunisia and spread throughout the rest of the Arab world hold promise that women’s plight would be improved, but they also destroyed the preconception many held of Arab women as being passive, oppressed and denied any public presence. In Syria though, while the status of some women has improved during Bashar al-Assad’s rule, the rights of many are still restricted within the context of a patriarchal society.
