The Syrian government ratified accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 2002, but it has presented 15 reservations to the provisions of the Convention, the most prominent of which was the reservation to Article Two of the Convention, which is related to the denunciation of all forms of discrimination against women, and the adoption of the principle of equality between men and women in legislations, based on the foregoing, these reservations have increased the favoritism of men, and hindered in a way or another the ability of women to have an equal role to men. With the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, the obstacles that hinder women’s participation in public life have increased as a result of the low security level and the spread of kidnappings, robberies, bombings and bombardment, this situation has limited the ability of women to leave their houses because of fear for their safety, also, the control of radical forces over some areas has reinforced the spread of extremist ideas, and led to the restriction of women’s freedom and ability to participate in public life. Women in Deir ez-Zur governorate have suffered from these challenges, as over the years of the revolution, the governorate has witnessed many battles between the various parties to the conflict, also, ISIS’s control over the region has limited the role of women and weakened their participation in the labor market and political life.

The study was conducted during February and March of 2022, and covered the northern, eastern and western countryside of Deir Ezzor, during which 8 key informants including employees of the institutions of the Autonomous Administration, employees of CSOs or civil activists, who have extensive knowledge of the situation of women’s participation in political life and labor market were interviewed, also, two FGD sessions were conducted, in which 31 female participants of various characteristics participated. The sessions included female employees of public departments and institutions, female employees of CSOs, as well as female entrepreneurs and female heads of households. During the study, 314 individual interviews were conducted with women living in the study areas, in addition to conducting 120 interviews with males using a special questionnaire for them.

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