Underestimating Men: Pessimism about Support for Gender Equality in Morocco and Beyond
A Crown Seminar with Carolyn Barnett
March 12, 2025
Watch the recording of this Crown Seminar on our YouTube channel.
In recent decades, governments worldwide, including those in the Middle East, have accelerated the adoption of women’s rights policies, despite significant resistance and backlash. Amidst these trends, a critical but often overlooked issue emerges: widespread public pessimism about support for gender equality, especially among men. In this Crown Seminar, Carolyn Barnett, in conversation with Lindsay J. Benstead, explores how perceptions of men’s opposition to women’s rights and gender equality are often overstated in Morocco and beyond. Barnett examines how high-profile debates over women’s rights reforms amplify these misconceptions by disproportionately highlighting conservative voices. She discusses how this pessimism shapes policy implementation, interpersonal behavior, and the strategies of women’s rights advocates.
Carolyn Barnett is an assistant professor in the School of Government and Public Policy and School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona.
Lindsay J. Benstead is a professor of politics and global studies in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government and director of the Middle East Studies Center (MESC) at Portland State University.