The Lebanese Woman's Role Debated at a Large Women's Meeting

Mrs. Woodsmall invited a group of the ladies and young ladies of Beirut society—those who practice liberal professions or take part in the various fields of work—to a meeting held at the Bristol Hotel on November 11 last.

Among those invited were Dr. Edma Abouchdid, Dr. Salwa Nassar, Mrs. Edvick Shayboub, Mrs. Faiza Antiba, and Mrs. Rida Jaber, and the Misses Samira Azzam, Zahiyah Dughan, Dunya Marwa, Rose Assi, Layla Lababidi, Suad Khallouf, and others.

Mrs. Woodsmall, director of the committee for the study of "the role played by woman in the life of the peoples of the countries of the Middle East," opened the meeting, saying that this committee had been sent by the International Federation of Business and Professional Women to study the condition of woman in the Middle East, and that the study of the economic situation of a country, and the extent of woman's participation in it, gives tangible proof of the extent of her influence on the life of societies. Miss Edma Bayoud then presided over the meeting and set out the subject of discussion in three questions, namely:

1 - What are the new trends that have led woman to enter the arena of work?

2 - What are the most prominent problems arising from this?

3 - What are the possibilities and the fields for work in the future?

A lively debate then turned on the subject, throughout which Miss Bayoud remained mistress of the situation, and it yielded the following points:

1 - Among the factors that have encouraged woman to work are her professional preparation and her high level of culture, which have made her aspire to realize herself and to raise the level of her society by means of fruitful work.

2 - The rise in the standard of living and the need to increase the annual income.

3 - Woman's skill and her excellence in certain fields of work, and her ability to occupy a unique place in them.

4 - The conviction of man—and of woman as well—that she is worthy of taking part in the various kinds of work.

5 - The removal of the barriers between the sexes in many societies.

As for the problems arising from this state of affairs, the following among them were mentioned:

(a) Woman's being compelled to neglect some of the household tasks.

(b) The emergence of a tendency toward liberation and independence in woman at a time when man is not prepared to accept it.

(c) The decline in the degree of care given to children below school age.

The meeting ended with a look to the future, acknowledging that there is no way to halt the forward march; rather, we must strive earnestly to find the suitable solution to this situation, which inevitable development has created—and this solution is best achieved by means of sound practical education.