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Blog 2: Ability or Social Status

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One part of social status that stood out to me in Morocco was how the place where someone grows up can affect the opportunities available to them. Social status is often connected to income, education, occupation, and family background. Before this trip, I mostly thought about social status in terms of how much money someone had. After visiting Morocco, I realized that a person’s location can be just as important, especially when comparing rural communities with larger cities. As we traveled through Morocco, we saw modern cities, universities, farms, and smaller rural communities. The differences between these places made me think about how access to transportation and schools can shape a person’s future. A student living in a city may have several schools and services nearby, while a student in a rural area may have to travel a much greater distance. Even if both students have the same motivation and ability, they may not begin with the same opportunities. Our visit to ENA in Mekn...
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Blog 3: Women’s Cooperatives and Changing Gender Roles in Morocco

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One part of my identity that I had not thought much about before traveling to Morocco was how being male has influenced what I expect to see in workplaces and leadership positions. Gender roles are the expectations a society places on men and women regarding their responsibilities at home, at work, and in the community. During this trip, I became more aware that these expectations are not the same everywhere and that they can change over time. Before visiting Morocco, I assumed that women would have a limited role in business because of the country’s traditional culture. During our visits to cooperatives, farms, and other organizations, however, I saw women contributing to production, agriculture, and community development. Their work was not just providing additional help. In many cases, it created income for families and supported the surrounding community. Seeing this caused me to question some of the assumptions I had formed before the trip. Women’s cooperatives are especially ...
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Blog 3: Sexual Orientation or Gender Roles

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  Blog 3: Gender Roles and Economic Opportunity in Morocco      An identity that I don’t relate to and that stood out to me during our trips in Morocco relates to gender roles, particularly women's participation in the workforce. Gender roles are the expectations societies place on men and women that can influence education, employment, and leadership opportunities. According to UN Women, increasing women's participation in the economy is an important factor in promoting economic growth and community development (UN Women, 2024).      One issue associated with gender roles in Morocco is that women participate in the workforce at lower rates than men despite an increase in education access. While Morocco has made progress in expanding opportunities for women, traditional expectations can still affect career opportunities and leadership representation (UN Women, 2024), as well as insufficient childcare help.      During our visits to farms...
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Blog 3: Sexual Orientation or Gender Roles

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Touring the Driscoll's berry processing plant in Morocco showed me how differently people can think about gender roles acrross different countries. At the plant, berry inspection was done specifically by women, and the reason given was that women are more gentle with the fruit and pay closer attention to detail. What stood out was not the division of labor itself but how openly it was stated. In Morocco, people seemed more willing to name perceived differences between men and women and to organize work around them, while in the United States that same reasoning would more likely be treated as an assumption to question. Much of what we call "gender roles" may really come down to which differences a culture is comfortable saying out loud. This more open attitude reflects a broader difference in perspective. Morocco has one of the lowest rates of female labor force participation in the world, and research points to traditional gender norms as a major reason women remain out...
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Blog 2: Ability or Social Status

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Having the opportunity to tour ENA in Meknes helped further shape how I understand educational opportunity. I now see that access to higher education depends on two things: how affordable it is, and how many seats are available. The United States and Morocco differ on both, and ENA Meknes showed me why that matters. ENA is a small, specialized school that admits only a limited number of students each year. Because the cohort is small, getting in is difficult regardless of how qualified an applicant is. In the United States, applying to college feels like a normal step that most students expect to take, so I had assumed that any motivated, capable student could find a place somewhere. My time in Meknes showed me that this is not true when a school is small by design. In that situation, the limit is not how many students want to attend, but how few spots exist. The enrollment data supports this. In 2022, the United States had a gross tertiary enrollment ratio of about 79%, while Morocco...
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Blog 1: Race, Ethnicity, Culture, or Religion

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As someone who is not Muslim, so this trip has been highly insightful into the various beliefs, practices, and traditions of the faith. As we have been in Morocco, I have begun to realize that most of what I know about Islam is from classes, but not from personal experience or by knowing someone who is very familiar with the faith. I had many questions coming in of whether I would be looked at differently for not wearing a hijab or if religious tolerance was common practice. I didn't realize until now just how many misconceptions I had because of my lack of personal observation and interaction experience. I thought it was beautiful how numerous guides emphasized multifaith coexistence emphasizing that people of different faiths live together peacefully without any issues. After doing some further research I even found that in 2019, King Muhammad IV warmly welcomed Pope Francis as a symbol of tolerance and coexistence. Although it is considered illegal to convert away from Islam, it...
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Blog 3: Sexual Orientation or Gender Roles

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               Before arriving in Morocco, I assumed women only played a minor role in their society. I thought that women would not be seen much in public, and few would be participating in the workforce. However, I learned that women play important roles throughout Morocco, especially in rural settings. Over this trip, we visited Cooperatives, berry farms, dairy farms, etc. where women were often involved in many aspects of production. For example, women would be specifically working in the field of the Driscoll’s blueberry farm since they had the delicate hands to pick the fruit or working in roles that require attention to detail in the Driscoll’s factory. I learned that the specific roles Moroccan women played were strategic based on their strengths.. Even though it seemed like the Moroccan women were working in the inferior roles, they were actually working these jobs simply due to efficiency. It was also obvious that Morocco has starte...
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