U.N. Cites Arab World's 'Empty Gestures' on Women

In Jordan, significant strides were made in passing labor laws affecting women, the report notes, though it also says women remain subjugated and underemployed because of entrenched traditions. Meanwhile, Tunisia and Morocco are described as reinterpreting Islamic law to enhance women's rights relating to inheritance, divorce, custody and other issues.

At an event to launch the report yesterday, according to Alsoswa, some participants said Arab countries have undertaken reforms that are secular in nature, rather than anchored in Islam. But the authors of the study cite modern interpretations of Islamic law that guarantee equality for women.

Even when Arab countries create legislation that protects women's rights, Alsoswa said, women can still face oppression.

"Judges really read those laws in a personal way, based on their own experience and not the law, and this is one of the obstacles," she argued.

The report also notes that health conditions for women in the Arab world are poor and that men receive better care. "Women in Arab countries, especially the least developed countries, suffer . . . high rates of risk of morbidity and mortality connected with pregnancy and reproductive functions," the report says.

Education proved a bright spot, in some ways. Female enrollment in colleges has risen, and girls outranked boys in humanities and sciences in a dozen countries.

Despite such achievements, Alsoswa said, a sense remains that improvements are not being made quickly enough.

"We are still talking about issues we started talking about in the last century," she said.