Concluding Remarks

Abstract

Gender gaps linger worldwide, particularly in political participation in developing and Arab countries. This is most pronounced in Lebanon. The first wave of twentieth-century feminism hit Lebanon during the 1950s. It focused on the emancipation of women and suffrage rights as entry points for enhancing women’s participation in national development. Subsequent waves and paradigmatic shifts from “women in development” (WID) to “women and development” (WAD), and since late 1980s to “gender and development” (GAD), failed to bridge gender gaps or achieve gender equality. Women’s gains in the private sector surpass by far those in the public sector. The conundrum of the mismatch between Lebanese women’s high socioeconomic and their low political profiles motivated this body of work.