Study on Algerian feminist movement: Algerian women ignore family law, as marriage topped the list of female students' concerns

Algerian Association of Women organized, the beginning of this week in Gharmoul Hotel in Algiers, a symposium to present the results of the latest study by the association on “University Students and the Feminist Movement”, a study supervised by Imen Hayef and Aghil Ahriz from the office of Echo Technical of statistical studies.  

• Members of the Algerian feminist movement and representative of the Centre of Arab Women for Training and Research “Kawthar” attended the symposium, as the study included over 553 students from Algerian universities and institutes, including Boumerdes, Algiers, Constantine, Oran, Tizi Ouzou, Biskra, Medea and Annaba.
• The study raised several questions related to family law and the struggle of the feminist movement in Algeria, as well as the opinion of female students about the leaders of these movements.
• The study shows that the university is no more a place of intellectual debate as its role in making leaders declines, and 50% of female students do not know the family law as a framework of a woman’s life. It also shows that most of them do not care about women’s issues, although 55% of the sample surveyed agrees with the principle of equality between sexes, compared to 26% stand against equality, as 27% out of 29% opposing the participle of equality arguing that Islam has made different roles for both men and women, and 19% of them believe that the Koran has made a solution for the principle of equality, as 33% of the causes are biological and physical which make both women and men different, thus it is impossible to achieve the principle of equality for these reasons.
• The study shows that 39% of university girls think that they have rights to higher education and advanced studies, 48% claim the right to work, 28% claim right to respect in public places and home, 24% claim right to express an opinion and participate in elections. It found that most of 21% of Algerian women believe that France is the best country where women’s rights are respected.
• The study revealed the indifference of the new generations of women in feminist struggle to get their rights, as 73% of female students prefer marriage and stability after the end of their studies, 71% of them want to find a job, 46% wish to accomplish and achieve a good career. However, 31% seek migration to complete graduation.
• In a question about the best Algerian presidents, Abdelaziz Bouteflika topped the list as a model leader for Algerian women by 29%, then 21% for Louiza Hanoun leader of the Labor Party, 4% for the Minister of Culture Khalida Toumi, and 2% for Belkhadem ,Abou Jara and Ouyahia.