Parliamentary presence sticking point for Lebanon's women
Although Lebanon is considered a pioneer country in terms of female empowerment, women are still timidly represented in politics, as these usually access parliament following the death of their relatives.
Only a small number of women have made it into Lebanese politics, and often after the death of a relative. Illustrating this point is the popular saying that Lebanese women enter parliament wearing black. In spite of its relative openness, Lebanese society is still dominated by a patriarchal culture, which makes the path to government positions and parliament a daunting challenge for most women.
Only four women belong to the current Lebanese parliament, comprised of 128 members: Sethrida Geagea, who is the member of parliament for the Bcharre region; Gilberte Zwein, who has earned her place by running in Keserwan on the ticket of Gen. Michel Aoun, who heads the Change and Reform bloc; Bahia Hariri, who is a Saida member of parliament and member of the Sunni Future Movement; and Nayla Tueni, who won the Greek Orthodox seat in Beirut.
