02 May 2017

Only one in four Middle East men backs equality, study suggests

Only one in four men in the Arab world supports equality for women in some areas, and most still believe a woman's primary role is at home, a survey suggests.

Interviews in Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and the Palestinian territories also found that younger men mostly appeared to be as conservative as their fathers.

But men in the region are said to face "tremendous stress" to be providers.

This was especially true in places affected by conflict, the report says.

The survey of 10,000 people co-ordinated by Promundo and UN Women found that between 20-50% of men across the four locations were ashamed to face their families due to a lack of work or money.

"There is the perception about the Arab region that the patriarchy clearly dominates and that it is fantastic for men," Shereen El Feki, who led the study, told the BBC.

But "the patriarchy works for the very small minority who are on the top of that pyramid," she added. [BBC] Read more