Progress Amid Resistance

272 WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICApetition demanding liberation from Syrian occupation that collected morethan 10,000 signatures and grew to over 500 meters in length.The rise in civic activism has been aided by improved access to information.Satellite television is widely available, and the Internet has beenex panding rapidly, with nearly a quarter of the population using the newmedium by 2008. 71 However, because women remain underrepresented inboth legislative and executive bodies, their lobbying efforts and awarenesscampaigns have had limited success in influencing national policies.RecommendationsF The government, in conjunction with civil society actors, should counterthe prevailing view, particularly among older generations, that politicsis the domain of men. This could be achieved through nationalawareness campaigns focusing on the important role that womenplay in the public sphere, whether at the political, economic, or sociallevel. In order to reach all Lebanese, even in the most remote areasof the country, such campaigns should utilize visual media, preferablytelevision.F Taking into consideration the historical reluctance of Lebanese votersto elect female politicians, the government must take steps to ensurethat women have the opportunity to secure a substantial presence inthe parliament. To this end, civil society actors should actively pushfor the temporary adoption of a gender-based quota within the electorallists rather than parliament seats.F The government, in cooperation with local NGOs, should offer trainingcampaigns for potential female politicians that would guide themon how to properly conduct a campaign and convey their policy messageto a wide audience.F Women should be encouraged to join existing political parties andform new parties in which they would be accepted as equal partners.Moreover, they should create special networks, both within and acrossparties, to build alliances on the issues of female leadership and genderequality.F Because municipal councils have the potential to affect the local communityin a direct manner, increasing women’s representation in thecouncils should be a high priority for the government. One way ofachieving this would be to institute a quota on the electoral lists.