Thinking of Algerian women on the International Women’s Day? No thanks, I’ll do it every day!

It is somehow sad that women still have to be celebrated on this occasion to claim their rights to be equal. Thousands of people all over the world are tweeting and blogging today, and so do we. 

However it is extremely important to highlight that women should be remembered every day and reminded of their fundamental role in society. It is crucial that in the MENA region women start gaining equal opportunities to get involved into politics and social life.

In Algeria, women seem to be forgotten the whole year, yet today different political parties have started wooing them in order to gain votes for the coming legislative elections in May. It is sad to see how Algerian women are increasingly reluctant in taking active part in political life, due to masculine stereotypes and patriarchal mind-sets still inculcated across the country, specifically in the south, where taboos are harder to be broken because of tribal rules.

The new elective law is demanding a minimum quota of 30% for women, however representatives of certain parties are ready to pay to stop women’s candidacy!

This is something that needs to be fought! It is really worrying to see that apparently “moderate” and “modernised” countries, such as Algeria, still struggle to give wider voice and rights to their women, who –we need to remember – fought next to their husbands for the independence of their country in 1962.