Gender

Before living in Morocco, I really had no conception of the ways gender plays out in Muslim countries. To some degree, I held the common stereotype of veiled, marginalized Muslim woman. After a month and a half here, I feel fairly comfortable making some observations about gender in Rabat. Morocco is probably the most "Westernized" Islamic country in terms of, among other things, its treatment of gender. I can really only speak about Rabat because I have experienced noticeably different interactions (or lack thereof) in Marrakech, Essaouira, Casablanca, and the countryside.

During our orientation we received some context for street harassment, which has occasionally mitigated my frustration. In the chaos after colonialism and independence, Moroccan women rarely left the house during their lifetimes. The house was their domain; they had full control over everything that occurred indoors. There were even some rooms that men could not enter without permission, such as the courtyard and terraces. Moroccan homes still have a window over the door, through which Moroccan women would traditionally look before deciding if they wanted to let the men of their house enter. Women had full control over the household, but that meant that outside the door was entirely the men's world. Men ruled the streets, and if a woman ventured outside, that meant she wanted to be "hunted". Like a gazelle, the woman was supposed to run and hide when outside.

Traditionally, Moroccan men and women do not meet each other in the same ways Americans do. Instead of at parties or at the office, Moroccans find their dating partners on the streets. So, when a woman is on the street, it means she wants to be hunted. When a Moroccan woman is interested in the man calling after her, she will respond in subtle ways. Moroccan men have to be very creative in their street remarks. They usually speak French to any white women, but I have heard catcalls in Darija, German, Chinese, and English too. They are especially entertaining when they try to attract us with elements of American culture. Here are some amusing/harmless ones:

"So far so good?"

"Spice girls!"

"Yes, we can!...No, we can't!...Yes, we can!"

"Ca va?" (no response) "Ah, ca va pas? Quel dommage!"

(I had just showered) "Is it raining somewhere?"

(When I was walking and eating) "You hungry?". This was actually the only time anyone in this country has cared if I am hungry!

Here are some responses we are supposed to use if we actually feel threatened by street harassment. I apologize for incorrect transliteration. In order of increasing severity, they are:

1. Shouma! ("Shame", to be discussed in another post)

2. S'ir b'halek! ("Go away!)

3. B'sill!

4. Nta h'mar ("You are a donkey", very offensive)

It is pretty rare to see a woman (especially Moroccan) walking alone outside the medina. I went for a run along the Bouregreg river the other day and realized that I was the only woman by myself as far as I could see. I wanted to stop and look out over the water, but I would have felt supremely uncomfortable standing still alone outside the medina. While walking, I have quickly adopted the modest, female Moroccan gaze: eyes angled down at 45 degrees or less.

Public Displays of Affection:

I didn't even realize that my host brother (Youssef) and sister-in-law (Fadila) were married until I went outside the medina with them. In the house, within view of Youssef's mother, they seldom interact and never touch each other. Outside, their P.D.A. is limited to Youssef's grabbing Fadila's sleeve. Couples congregate by the hundreds by the river at dusk--all around, everyone is in pairs. I don't think I can adequately explain how striking it is.