CAES Morocco: Leading Across Differences

                When exploring gender roles in Morocco, I was intrigued by the family laws and divorce process in the country. While in the United States, approximately 40% of marriages end in divorce, that statistic only reaches around 10% in Morocco.  To understand the difference in those numbers, I researched the divorce process in Morocco, as well as the social perception of divorced women in the country.                 Because the country is deeply rooted in Islam, most Moroccans try to avoid divorce as much as possible. Historically, the husband had the sole ability to file for divorce, whereas women could only repudiate a marriage for six specific reasons as quoted from the Quran, requiring extenuating circumstances and direct proof. In 2004, the Moroccan government introduced a new family law called the Moudawana that allowed for “two new categories of divorce for women including mutu...

While being in Morocco, one thing I noticed was the role gender plays in education and professional opportunities for women. Women in Morocco are turning universities and pursuing careers is more than before, especially in large cities. At the same time they are still traditional expectations that influence what woman chose to do professionally. in many Moroccan families women are still expected to focus more on marriage, family responsibilities, or staying closer to home. According to UN woman, Morocco has made progress woman education, but are still challenges involve in daily workplace equality, and career advancement. This topic resonated with me a lot because United States has similar gender expectations . An American woman have more representation and leadership position and careers, but there are still issues like an eco-pay and pressure balance work in family life. Being in Morocco made me think about those similarities and how culture influences people’s choices and opportunit...

     Throughout our time in Morocco, we have been exposed to gender roles in many different contexts through professional visits, academic settings, and everyday life. Because of this exposure, I wanted to explore the social expectations surrounding gender roles. While women in Morocco are increasingly involved in education and professional settings, traditional gender expectations are still present in certain social and cultural environments.      It stood out to me how normalized these expectations often are. During one tour, a guide explained that many men in Morocco feel pressure to be the primary financial providers for their families. The way gender roles were being described to us made these roles seem less like rules and more like an assumed social structure, a structure where each gender has a “natural” set of responsibilities that is widely understood and expected.      This observation connects to research showing that women contin...

 Views on sexual orientation differ significantly between Morocco and the US due to contrasting cultural value, religious influences, legal systems, and social attitudes. According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation is defined by patterns of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both as well as a sense of identity in terms of that attraction.  In the US, everyone's individual attitude toward people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community differs because not everyone has the same beliefs or culture. The US places an emphasis on individual rights, equality, and inclusion which has led to the acceptance of these identities over time, and some political and cultural movements have helped support this movement toward acceptance compared to countries with stricter traditional or authoritarian systems (Sweigart et al., 2024). This acceptance however is relative to the US overall not regions such as the Southern US. While there are many ...

After going to the University and interacting with men and women my age, I became curious about how younger people in Morocco view gender roles today. After reading the article “Gender stereotypes and youth voices in Morocco: masculinity, law, and change,” I learned that many young Moroccans are beginning to question traditional expectations placed on both men and women. Although older generations often believe women should focus mainly on the home while men provide financially, younger people are shifting their belief to equal roles in relationships, education, and careers. One point that stood out to me in the article was how young people are openly discussing the pressure gender stereotypes place on them. Young men explained that they feel expected to always appear strong and financially successful, while young women discussed the limitations they still face in society. One person in the study explained, “young people today want relationships based on partnership and mutual respect,...

  Although the United States and Morocco differ greatly in their laws on LGBTQ+ individuals, both countries show that legal status alone does not determine social acceptance. In Morocco, homosexuality is illegal under the Penal Code and can be punished with a maximum of 3 years in jail . This law is strict and several citizens and foreigners have been detained for practicing homosexuality (Human Dignity Trust, 2026). Because of its strict enforcement, homosexual couples are forced into secrecy. Thus, there is little social acceptance of homosexual couples in Morocco. In contrast, the United States legalized gay marriages in 2015, but sexual orientation has been under legal protected from discrimination by Title VII since 1964 which prevents discrimination in employement. The supreme court further clarified this in 2020 in the Bostock v. Clayton County case (Cole, 2020). Although there is more legal protection in America, homosexual couples are still on the receiving end of discrimi...