Challenging Limitations: The Redefinition of Roles for Women in the GCC

The rapid modernisation process that the GCC has witnessed over the last sixty years has effected a progressive transition to its socio-economic core, and nowhere more so than in the reinterpretation of traditional gender roles. With women entering the labour market in ever greater numbers, their broader social positions are changing from the private to the public sphere. As they continue undertaking greater leadership responsibilities in the economic and political arenas, new challenges and difficulties for both the women themselves and the greater GCC community are introduced. This book examines these topics as covered by the papers presented at the Challenging Limitations: Conference on the Redefinition of Roles for Women in the GCC, which took place at the London Middle East Institute (LMEI), SOAS in June, 2004.