CAES Morocco: Leading Across Differences

One identity that differs from my own and stood out to me during our time in Morocco relates to gender roles and how they shape behavior in public spaces. Gender roles are the expectations societies place on individuals based on their perceived gender, influencing how people act, communicate, and participate in daily life. According to UN Women, social and cultural norms strongly shape how men and women experience public life, including differences in visibility, voice, and opportunity. One societal issue connected to gender roles is how these expectations can shape who feels comfortable occupying public spaces and how individuals express themselves. In many cultures, gender norms influence everything from communication style to social presence. These patterns can reinforce certain behaviors over time, shaping how men and women interact in both social and professional settings. During our time in Morocco, one thing I noticed was the way public spaces like cafés were often dominated b...

  One identity that stood out to me during our time in Morocco, was how a person’s economic position and access to opportunity can shape their daily life. Social status often influences education, employment, and long-term stability. In many rural areas of Morocco, women historically have had fewer economic opportunities due to limited access to formal employment and resources. According to the World Bank, improving women’s economic participation is closely tied to reducing poverty and strengthening community development. One societal issue connected to social status is the cycle of limited economic opportunity, especially for women in rural communities. When individuals have fewer job options or lower-paying work, it can be difficult to invest in education, healthcare, or upward mobility. This cycle can affect entire families across generations. However, women’s cooperatives in Morocco, such as argan oil cooperatives, have been created to help break this cycle by providing stable...

  Blog 2: Ability or Social Status In the few countries I’ve traveled to before coming to Morocco, it is evident that many people speak two or more languages. I did not expect just how much I would see this while traveling through Morocco. Throughout the trip, we were surrounded by people who could effortlessly switch between Arabic, French, English, Amazigh, and sometimes Spanish and Italian too. In many professional or business environments, French seemed especially common, while Arabic and Amazigh were more common in everyday conversations and local settings. Before coming here, I never really thought about how language itself could reflect differences in education, opportunity, and social status within a country. According to Britannica, French influence in Morocco expanded significantly during the French protectorate from 1912 to 1956, especially within education, government, and business systems. Even after independence, French remained heavily connected to professional advan...

                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...