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Zeinab Hussein completed a Masters in International Relations and Security Studies in 2020
and holds a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. She
has co-authored several articles and is currently weighing her options to commence her
doctoral studies on issues related to gender and political participation in the Arab-Islamic
world.
Gender Politics in Oman: Between State, Sect, and Tribe
The issue of female (dis)empowerment in the Middle East lies at the very core of the Arab-Islamic world’s contemporary troubles. Most economists agree that significant levels of income inequality negatively impact economic growth and development, so why is it not commonly considered how significant inequality between genders might also diminish social and political outcomes? This essay explores this question of gender inequality and socio-political outcomes in the Sultanate of Oman and parses between the state, sect, and tribe to discuss the sources of reform and resistance to women’s empowerment.
