Bahrain

Bahrain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world; about 89 percent of the population lives in the two principal cities of Manama and Al Muharraq. Approximately 66 percent of the indigenous population is originally from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. The indigenous population is almost 100 percent Muslim.

Women are more publicly active in Bahrain than most other Arab countries. Many women choose not to be completely veiled. Bahrani women are highly educated and well represented in all of the major professions. More than 25 percent of Bahraini women hold jobs outside the home. Bahraini women were given the right to vote in 2002.

The most pressing issue for many Bahraini women is the need for a unified family law. The Sharia judges have the legal authority to decide divorce and child custody.

Gender roles in Bahrain show a variety of manifestations, and reflect the person's education and socioeconomic level, religious sect, urban or village background, and the degree of contact with local expatriates, as well as travel, study, or work abroad. Today many females are attending school, which is still noncompulsory. Due to strict family mores, some females still receive schooling only at home.

The sociological status of males and females as children, adolescents, and adults are clearly defined in the Koran and interpreted by the Bahrain legal system, which is based on a combination of sharia law and British jurisprudence, which are expressed through codes.

Bahraini women are able to sign their own operation permits in hospitals or use their thumbprints; however, due to local tradition, the husband, or even other relatives, tend to sign permits.

Women keep their family name after marriage, and all their property remains in their names, without becoming joint property or being held in their husband's name. Divorce is looked upon with strong disfavor in the Koran; however, divorce rates are escalating.