Women’s Participation and Leadership in Lebanon, Jordan and Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Moving from individual to collective change

This report sets out the findings of a seven-month qualitative study commissioned by Oxfam and conducted in Lebanon, Jordan and Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) by researchers from the American University of Beirut. The aim of the study was to explore the role customary institutions play in maintaining gender inequality, and how changes in individual perceptions and attitudes on gender equality can lead to changes in the social and political spheres. Stakeholders and focus group participants discussed their views on a range of issues including women’s economic participation; the role of media and education in driving change; religious interpretation; and what gender equality means in practice.