Rabat – A new report by the Arab Barometer has revealed that an overwhelming 76% majority of Algerians believe that men are better political leaders than women.
This belief has garnered the support of people of different ages, education levels, regions, and areas (urban and rural), the report found.
According to the report, the survey’s results are “consistent with sentiments in 2016 and 2019,” with the majority of Algerians not favoring women and men playing equal roles in society.
However, the number of Algerians agreeing that university education is more important for men than for women has slowly increased, going from 25% in 2016 and 21% in 2019 to 30% in 2022.
But the report noted a slightly decreasing agreement with the belief that men should have the final say in all family decisions, down from 77% in 2016 and 71% in 2019 to 65% in 2022.
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In addition, the survey’s respondents expressed concerns regarding the poor treatment of women in Algeria, notably in the workplace. In this regard, 44% of Algerians believe that men and women should be separated in the workplace, with 39% of them citing the risk of sexual harassment as the main concern.
However, those living in the northwestern part of the country are notably less concerned about workplace harassment, with only 16% citing it as a concern, “at least 25 percentage points lower than all other regions.”
Meanwhile, those 30 years old and above and those financially secure are more concerned about workplace harassment compared to those aged 18 to 19 and those who cannot cover their expenses. But both age groups are 13 percentage points more likely to report harassment as the reason why men and women should be separated in the workplace, respectively.
In regard to violence against women, 26% of Algerians believe that the phenomenon has increased over the past year, while 30% say it has stayed the same.
Meanwhile, 26% say that violence against women has decreased, whereas 16% say “it was never a problem,” the report revealed.
By regions, the report noted that those in the South and Northeast of Algeria stressed that violence against women has in fact increased, with 32% reporting it in each of these regions.
The same thoughts were echoed by 26% of people in the Northwest, and only 19% and 17% percent of those from north central Algeria and the country’s capital Algiers, respectively.
