What You Want to Know about Life in Palestine: Treatment of Women and Children

Welcome to the third installment of the miniseries where I answer your questions about what life is like in the Palestinian Territories. If you missed the first post about grocery shopping, you can read it here. Today’s reader-submitted topic, “How women and children are treated in general in comparison to USA,” builds on some of what I shared in the last post about Muslim/Christian relations, so if you haven’t read that post yet, you might want to take a moment to read it here. I should also note that because my firsthand knowledge is of West Bank, I’ll be sharing the following from that experience and within that context.

Just as there is a stereotype of Muslim-majority countries severely persecuting Christians as I mentioned in the last post, there is also a stereotype of oppression of women. But just as Muslim-majority countries fall along a spectrum when it comes to their treatment of Christians, so too does the attitude toward and treatment of women and children in the Middle East generally and in Palestine in particular.

In West Bank, on one extreme, there are situations where women are oppressed or even abused. For example, they can be pressured to have as many children as possible and suffer abuse if their husbands find out they’ve been using birth control methods. And, of course, as anywhere else, women are not immune to occasional harassment in the community. But on the other extreme, there are families whose culture is no different from the stereotypical West. Women are free to work outside the home, and many do.

The spectrum of interpretation within Islam results in some women wearing hijabs (head coverings) and some not. And among both groups, you will find both single and married women as well as women who work outside the home and those who don’t, either by necessity or by choice. Women who are not Muslim are not required to wear hijabs or follow any of the other standards of Islam. Women can drive, attend university, own property, file for divorce, vote, and run for political office.

When it comes to women in the workplace, the landscape is largely similar to the States, with most professions open to women. There are women doctors, dentists, pharmacists, engineers, architects, professors, mayors, governors, nurses, dietitians, lawyers, human resource officers, administrators and managers, IT professionals, designers, teachers, and other businesswomen. At the same time, there are other occupations that, while technically open to women, are typically done by men. Among these are taxi drivers, sanitation workers, construction workers, produce store owners/staff, butchers, factory workers, gas station attendants (as in, the people that actually pump your gas—those are still a thing here), and mechanics. Another male-dominated field, unlike in the States, is the restaurant industry. While there are a few waitresses, the vast majority of wait staff are men.

Treatment of children likewise varies greatly depending on the family. Generally, children are highly valued in Arab culture and spoken to with a wide range of endearing terms. Most children are given nicknames that are formed by taking one or two syllables of their name and adding the “oo” or “oosh” sound to the end. For example, Layla would be Lulu or Layloosh; Samir would be Soosoo, etc. Children rarely outgrow these nicknames; even into adulthood, the terms of endearment are still used by family and close friends.

Another way of referring to children that is different between Palestine and the United States is the practice of addressing the child with the name that they would address you with. For example, mothers often call their children, “mama” (regardless of the child’s gender), and it’s not uncommon to hear a father say, “Yalla, ya baba” (Come on, Daddy) to their child. Grandfathers and grandmothers call their grandchildren “Sedo” and “Tayta” (the Arabic words for grandfather and grandmother), respectively. This even applies to aunts and uncles. As an American, this practice is very strange and confusing to me, but it is widespread in Arab culture and one I’m trying to get used to now that I have a child of my own.

While there is a wide range of parenting philosophies in West Bank just as there is in America, one difference is the greater acceptance in Palestine (and Arab cultures generally) of corporal punishment. It has become the stuff of humor among Arab comedians, but the jokes about beatings with belts or shoes are based in reality. It’s not uncommon to see a mother smack a child in public, even on the face. But at the same time, there is the other end of the spectrum with highly permissive parents who rarely discipline their children at all, along with the middle ground of non-physical forms of discipline.  

One major difference is the attitude toward children playing in the streets. There are some public and private parks with playgrounds, but not as many as you might find in the States, so it is much more common for children to play in the streets (even highly trafficked streets) mostly without adult supervision. Whereas in America we would be terrified to let children roam and play in the city on their own because of threat of kidnapping, etc., here there isn’t that worry, and people don’t think twice about letting their children go out and about. It’s not uncommon to see a preteen walking down the road with grocery bags, having gone on an errand for his or her parents. School lets out anywhere between 1:00 and 3:00, so if parents work, children often hang out with their friends outside around school. The grocery store near our house is always flooded with kids from the school across the street when school lets out each day. In a lot of ways, seeing kids hanging out in groups, buying candy bars from the grocery store, or playing games in the street reminds me of how my grandparents described their own childhood in America.

Another difference is means of transportation. It is relatively rare to see an infant or child riding in the car in a car seat. More often than not, they are sitting in a parent’s lap in the front seat (even in the driver’s seat), or if a bit older, hanging out the window in the back seat or sticking their head out the sunroof.  I’d venture to guess that most parents here would laugh at the strict safety measures in place in the U.S.

This is just a small glimpse of what life is like for women and children here in West Bank. I hope it’s been enlightening. Next time we’ll look at another question submitted by a reader, so stay tuned!

Do you have a question or topic regarding life in Palestine that you’re curious about? Let me know in the comments below!

PC: Mais Salfiti. Used with permission.