Morocco Since 2011 and Constitutional Reform

In an effort to avoid a revolution, the king of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, wrote a new Moroccan constitution. The constitution was unveiled on March 9, 2011, which was just weeks after Ben Ali’s exile.[1]

In particular, the new constitution helped with woman’s rights.  Women now have the right to sue for divorce.  If they do divorce and have children, they now have the right to maintain custody of the children if they remarry.  Previously, it was unheard of for man to raise another man’s children. Women are also now encouraged to create woman’s right’s organizations. Berber has now been recognized as an official language in Morocco, along with Arabic.  Since most women are fluent in Berber and not as fluent in Arabic, this empowers women by leveling the playing field.  There are additional reforms being devised but because the women in Morocco still have a high illiteracy and poverty rate, it is still hard for many women to take advantage of the new opportunities.[2]

For more growth as a whole in the area of women’s right and feminism, there will need to be strong political will in the field of education and media for more gender equality.[3]