How do Muslims view women's rights?

Many Muslims believe that women should have the right to vote and to hold any job outside the home that they qualify for.

•Majorities in most countries believe that women should have the same legal rights as men: They should have the right to vote, to hold any job outside the home that they qualify for, and to hold leadership positions at the cabinet and national council levels (see chart, below).

•Majorities of men in virtually every country (including 62 percent in Saudi Arabia, 73 percent in Iran, and 81 percent in Indonesia) agree that women should be able to work at any job they qualify for.

•In Saudi Arabia, where women cannot vote, 58 percent of men say women should be able to vote.

•While Muslim women favor gender parity, they do not endorse wholesale adoption of Western values.

SOURCE: Gallup Poll of the Muslim World/Rich Clabaugh–STAFF
Get Monitor stories by e-mail:
(Your e-mail address will be protected by csmonitor.com's tough privacy policy.)
ELECTION '08 Patchwork Nation
The American voter beyond red and blue

FISHERIES Empty Oceans Series
The sea is no longer so vast.


Daily podcast

Monitor Reports

Discussions with Monitor reporters from around the world


Today

Peter Grier

General Motors exits bankruptcy and begins again.




Making a difference
Making a Difference

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change. See how individuals are making a difference, finding solutions, overcoming adversity, and giving back globally.

Garry Delice (standing) searches out promising students in Haiti's high schools as part of a program that provides tuition, housing, and expenses for exceptional pupils.

Amy Bracken

People making a difference: Garry Delice

He rose up from poverty to earn a college degree. Now this educator roams Haiti's back roads, urging students to live their own dreams.