CAES Morocco: Leading Across Differences

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...

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 ...

  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...

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...

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...

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...

               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...

Over the course of this trip, it became evident the privilege I hold as an American tourist. I would walk into a gas station and see the price for giant water bottles being sold for under 10 dirham and I would think about how much more expensive it would be in the United States. Furthermore, when I would buy a cappuccino for 20 Dirham (roughly 2 USD) and I would think to myself how this is about 6 dollars cheaper than a coffee in the United States. The vast differences in prices between the United States and Morocco showed me the financial privilege I often take for granted. Another time I noticed my privilege being a United States citizen was through interacting with Moroccans. The majority of the Moroccans I had talked to had oftentimes not left the city where they were born. This was shocking to me as I had been to both of the United States’ Coasts by the time I was 9 while also traveling to numerous cities in between. Hearing this, it furthered my understanding of how not everyon...

While being in Morocco, I noticed how social status can affect educational opportunity, especially when comparing private and public schools. students for both of your families, often attend private schools where they have more resources smaller class as a stronger, education and languages like French and English meanwhile, many public schools have few resources in larger classrooms according to the World Bank educational quality in Morocco is connected to income level and access to quality schooling(Worldbank,2020). This creates difference in future opportunities depending on the students background and social class. This topic stood out to me because we have similar things in the United States. In America students in wealthier neighborhood usually has access to better funded schools, more extracurricular activities in strong, academic opportunities, compared to lower income communities.  My time in Morocco made me realize how much social status can shape some opportunities around...

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...