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 AFROL
Gender Profiles:
Libya
Libya (or the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) remains behind the
curtain of revolution. In some ways, the Libyan legislature is progressive, but
the traditional and private sphere in society remains overwhelming. This
country, rich on oil but poor on friends, becomes increasingly divided by a
traditional and a modern sector, in which, however, Islam remains strong in
both.
Despite legal provision, traditional attitudes and practices prevail and discrimination against women persists and keeps them from attaining the family or civil rights formally provided them.
Violence against women, it remains a problem. Abuse within the family rarely is discussed publicly, due to the value attached to privacy in society. Some nomadic tribes still practice
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on young girls. Every woman in Libya
on average gives birth to 3,71 children (2000 est.)
Social data
Life expectancy: Total population: 75,45 years
male: 73,34 years
female: 77,66 years (2000 est.)
Infant mortality: 30,08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Alphabetization rate: Total population: 76,2%
male: 87,9%
female: 63% (1995 est.)
Medical services: 730 persons per doctor. 95% of total population
have access to health services.
Sex ratio: at birth: 1,05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1,04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1,07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0,98 male(s)/female
total population: 1,06 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Religious data: Traditional African religions 0,68%,
Christians 1,32%, Muslim 998%.
Family and tradition
The 1969 Constitutional Proclamation granted women total equality. Despite this legal provision, traditional attitudes and practices prevail and discrimination against women persists and keeps them from attaining the family or civil rights formally provided them. A woman must have her husband's permission to travel abroad.
In recent years, a growing sense of individualism in some segments of society, especially among the educated young, has been noted. For example, many educated young couples prefer to set up their own households, rather than move in with their parents, and view polygyny with scorn. Since the 1970's, educational differences between men and women have narrowed.
In general the emancipation of women is a generational phenomenon: Urban women under the age of 35 tend to have more "modern" attitudes toward life and have discarded the traditional veil; at the same time, older urban women tend to be more reluctant to give up the veil or the traditional attitudes towards family and employment. Moreover, a significant proportion of rural women still do not attend school and tend to instill in their children such traditional beliefs as women's subservient role in society.
Gender sensitivity in society
The Constitution prohibits discrimination based on Race, Sex,
Religion, Disability, Language and Social Status. However, the Government does not enforce these prohibitions, particularly discrimination against women and tribal minorities.
Although their status is still not equal to that of men, most observers agree that, with the advent of oil wealth in the 1970's, the opportunity for women to make notable social progress has increased. Oil wealth, urbanization, development plans, education programs, and even the impetus behind Qadhafi's revolutionary government all have contributed to the creation of new employment opportunities for women.
Employment gains by women also tend to be inhibited by lingering traditional restrictions that discourage women from playing an active role in the workplace, and by the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalist values. Some observers have noted that even educated women tend to lack self-confidence and social awareness and seek only a limited degree of occupational and social participation with men.
Health data
Access to potable water: 97%
Medical services: 730 persons per doctor. 95% of total population
have access to health services.
Maternal mortality rate: 220/100.000.
Infant mortality: 30,08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Some nomadic tribes practice FGM on
young girls.
The Government subsidizes medical care, and has improved the welfare of children; however, declining revenues and general economic mismanagement have led to cutbacks, particularly in medical services.
Some nomadic tribes located in remote areas still practice female genital mutilation (FGM) on young girls, a procedure that is widely condemned by international health experts as damaging to both physical and psychological health.
Violence against women
Although there is little detailed information on the extent of violence against women, it remains a problem. In general the intervention of neighbors and extended family members tends to limit the reporting of domestic violence. Abuse within the family rarely is discussed publicly, due to the value attached to privacy in society.
Main sources: U.S. Department of State, CIA,
Mundo negro
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