Article 9 of the 2003 Palestinian Basic Law states that “Palestinians shall be equal before the law and the judiciary, without distinction based upon race, sex, color, religion, political views or disability.” Following the 1993 Oslo Accord, the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee was formed to advocate for gender parity, and a decade later, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Palestine was established to promote and protect women’s rights under the law. In 2007, parliament signed a quota law, making it mandatory for women to make up no less than 20 percent of candidates on electoral lists for the Legislative Council and local elections, and two years later ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). However, despite these advancements, political conflict and the region’s deeply entrenched patriarchal structure have prevented women from obtaining access to equal rights. According to a 2021 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics survey, only 23 percent of women aged 25-49 are employed, and a recent UN Women report showed that “50 percent of Palestinian women and 63 percent of Palestinian men agreed that a woman should tolerate violence to keep the family together.” Fortunately, women’s rights groups like the General Union for Palestinian Women (GUPW) have been advocating on behalf of women and girls since 1965. Today, along with the GUPW, organizations such as the Women’s Center for Legal Aid and Counseling, the Women’s Studies Center, and the Jerusalem Center for Women are dedicated to protecting the health and safety of women while ensuring their human rights are upheld by the law.
Women face religious and cultural barriers when it comes to sports participation in the Palestinian territories. However, despite the challenges, women’s access to sport has improved over the past two decades. Soccer is the most popular sport in the region, and in 2003, Honey Thaljieh co-founded the Palestinian Women’s National Football Team. Though restrictions prevented them from playing on the only soccer pitch in the West Bank, the team, captained by Thaljieh, trained on concrete handball courts to improve their skills. The national team played their first match in 2005, and have since made three appearances in the West Asian Football Federation Championship. In 2009, they played their first home international match against Jordan in front of a crowd of more than 16,000, just outside of East Jerusalem. The region now has a women’s Futsal league and a professional soccer league. The Palestine Olympic Committee is developing initiatives to help increase sports participation for Palestinian girls and women.
Meet and support global leaders creating change in Palestine:
Malak Hasan
Amani Manassra
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Women in Leadership
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT AS OF 2020
20%
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY POSITIONS AS OF 2020
11%
Has a Woman Ever Been Head of State or Head of Government?
No
HAS A WOMAN EVER BEEN SPORTS MINISTER?
Unknown
Title IX Timeline
1946
Women gained the right to vote.
2000
Samar Nassar, a swimmer, became the first woman to represent Palestine in the Olympics and a female athlete also became the first woman to represent Palestine in the Paralympics.
2009
Palestine ratified Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
2017
Palestine signed the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, affirming that peace and security efforts are more sustainable when women are equal partners in the prevention of violent conflict, the delivery of relief and recovery efforts and in the forging of lasting peace.
Women in the olympics
participation through the years
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0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
4
-
4
-
2
Women in the Paralympics
participation through the years
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
0
-
1
-
0
-
0
Elite Sports Participation
First Year Women Participated In The Olympics
2000
Year Women’s Participation In Olympics Was Equal To Men’s
2000
First Time A Woman Won An Olympic Medal
The first woman could be you!
First Year Women Participated In The Paralympics
2000
Year Women’s Participation In Paralympics Was Equal To Men’s
2000
First Time A Woman Won A Paralympic Medal
The first woman could be you!
FIFA
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
2005
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
FIFA is committed to the growth and development of women’s football around the globe.
For More Information
FIBA
Fédération Internationale de Basketball
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
Unknown
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
Increasing the participation of women in basketball at all levels was named as one of FIBA’s eight strategic objectives (2019- 2027) and one of FIBA’s three strategic priorities (2019-2023).
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LOCAL
Sports
Initiatives
Major Regional Or Country Sport Initiatives
Hosted a single day sports event in 2019 promoting UN Women’s “Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights for an equal future” campaign. This event promoted gender equality in all aspects of life, including sport, and was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
