Inaya Azzeddin, Lebanon’s State Minister for Administrative Development and the only female member of the Lebanese cabinet, told Sputnik that while the country’s constitution allows women to participate in politics, it’s next to impossible for them to occupy high-ranking government positions via ordinary means.
"Most of the women who occupy high-ranking offices usually managed to do so thanks to family connections. The occasions when women were able to achieve such results thanks to their personal qualities or were nominated by their parties are few and far between; in fact, I was the first person who managed to do so. This situation is a result of a number of factors, including public stereotypes and backwardness," she said.
According to Azzeddin, Lebanese women have proven themselves in various vocations but at the same time lag behind the Arabian women in other countries who have more opportunities in politics.
"We now support instituting a quota for women in the government as a temporary measure until a culture of women’s political activity is created," Azzeddin said.
She also added that the prime minister, along with approximately a third of the government, supports this initiative, and that the actual size of this quota may soon be discussed in the parliament.
