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 started to implement practices to increase women’s role in agriculture, education and in the workforce. When we toured ENA, I was surprised to see the amount of women pursuing their PhD. According to Foodland Africa, roughly 67% percent of ENA’s student body is women. This was shocking to me as the stereotype is that women in muslim countries don’t have as many opportunities compared to women in the United States, France, etc. Also, many Moroccan businesses were actively creating opportunities for women. For example, at the Argan oil Cooperative, they employed many rural Berber women to crack the argan nuts. This not only gave the Berber women the ability to make a living, but also demonstrated the measures Morocco has taken to increase women’s participation in the workforce. 


Overall, my experience in Morocco has completely contradicted my original assumptions of the participation of women in Muslim countries. Through visiting the Cooperatives, farms, etc., it was obvious that women play a major role in the workforce, and are continuing to increase their participation in many sectors. 

    Our group listening to a female ENA student explain her project and research.


École Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknes. (n.d.). Ecole Nationale d’Agriculture de Meknes. FOODLAND. https://foodland-africa.eu/consortium/ecole-nationale-dagriculture-de-meknes/



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