Qatar

Located on the coast of the Arabian peninsula and surrounded by the Persian Gulf, Qatar is an oil-rich country with one of the fastest growing economies in the world. A monarchy controlled by the Al Thani family, Qatar's government rules by religious law, with councils of leading citizens. While the constitution bans discrimination against women, law and social customs restrict women's rights and freedoms. Sharià, or Islamic law, gives men some controls over women.

In education and the workforce, Qatar women experience some equality. Women have equal access to education, although it can be harder for them to travel abroad for college, as their movement can be limited without male escorts. Women comprise 26 percent of the national workforce, primarily in teaching, health, and government sectors. Women also receive equal pay for equal work.

Migrant women face significant hardships in Qatar, which has a national problem with forced domestic service and the mistreatment of domestic servants. Women are forced into labor in homes, are given no access to assistance, and are often abused and beaten. Foreign embassies have gone so far as to establish shelters for runaway maids.

While Islamic law prohibits physical abuse of women, it does protect men for “crimes of honor,” or assaults on women who displayed defiant behavior or were immodest. Husbands can restrict the activities of their wives and make it difficult for a woman to travel unaccompanied. In court, a woman usually has to be represented by a male relative, and it takes the testimony of two women to equal that of one man.

Sharià law compromises the freedom of women. Yet, Qatar women do have certain guarantees to an equal education and fair wages.