MIDDLE EAST LAW AND GOVERNANCE

This article examines recent opportunities and challenges for women's civil and economic rights in the Maghreb countries of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The article begins with an overview of the economic structures of the three countries. It then describes the factors contributing to recent legal policy reforms in the Maghreb, including globalization, liberalization, education reform, and privatization. The article then analyzes family law reforms in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, including laws relating to female obedience of male family members, divorce, custody, dowries,

This article compares conceptions of female citizenship and family law reform in North Africa and the Middle East, with a focus on Morocco, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. The study looks at parliamentary and judicial reform priorities from 1990 to 2010, particularly in terms of the influence of clerical judges. The author argues that reducing clerical judicial authority in Morocco and Egypt has led to more progressive approaches to gender equality. In contrast, the retention of clerical judicial autonomy in Syria and Lebanon has led to more inequitable