Case Study: Syria
The categories below comprise this study's look at the educational situation for Syrian women. Click on the boxes to find more information on the obstacles that face women's access to education in the Middle East. You can also check out where Syria stands in comparison to the rest of the Middle East here.
Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1920, when it became a League of Nations mandate, and shortly thereafter became a French mandate. Syria revolted in 1925, but would not gain its full independence from France until 1946. In 1958, Syria merged with Egypt to form... Read More
The lack of female participation in the labor force, as in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, presents a problem for female access to quality education. Though the Ba’ath regime promised full participation for women in the workplace when it seized political control in 1963, many Syrian women finish primary... Read More
Monetary resources also present an obstacle to women’s access to quality education in Syria. This is especially true at the tertiary level, where enrollment tripled between 1995 and 2005, but Syria’s expenditure on these free-tuition public university only increased by 25 percent (Kabbani 106). Additionally, in 2006 Syria had a higher student-to-teacher ratio... Read More
Another obstacle presented by education in Syria is its goals and curriculum, and their influence on the quality of women’s education. The Ba’ath party of Syria ultimately invested in education as “a means of both ensuring progress and indoctrinating and controlling the masses” (Groiss 7). This is evident in its goals, stated... Read More