My talk to the Regional Bioethics Conference on Women's Ethical Issues, held in Beirut 2014. Outline: Overview on some development indicators related to the women in Arab countries The range of ethical issues related to the participation of women in research How do the socio-economical conditions ethically impact the Arab women’s participation in research?

1. The Ethical Implications of the Socio-
political Conditions in the Arab
Countries on the Research Involving
Arab Women
Ghaiath Hussein, MBBS, MHSc (Bioethics)
Doctoral Researcher (University of Birmingham, UK)
Email: ghaiathme@gmail.com

2. Disclosure
• I have no conflicts of interests

3. Outline
• Overview on some development indicators related to the
women in Arab countries
• The range of ethical issues related to the participation of
women in research
• How do the socio-economical conditions ethically impact
the Arab women’s participation in research

5. How many women in the Arab region?
Source: Arab Human Development Reports (http://www.arab-hdr.org/data/map/)

6. Gender Inequality Index (GII)
• The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is a new index for
measurement of gender disparity
• GII is a composite measure which captures the loss of
achievement, within a country, due to gender inequality,
and
• uses three dimensions to do so: reproductive
health, empowerment, and labor market participation.
(Wikipedia; UNDP 2010)

7. GII in Arab Countries

8. More specific indicators
Education
• female illiteracy (50%, cf. to 33% among males)
Health
• MMR averages 270 deaths (up to 1000) per 100,000 live births
Economy
• Arab women’s economic participation less than 33.3% (globally 55.6%)
Legally
• Personal status and labour legislations restrict women’s freedom (e.g. requiring
a father’s or a husband’s permission to work or borrow from financial institutions)

9. How do these affect research ethics?
• 'uninformed'
consent
• Vulnerability
• Proxy-consent
• over-targeted
• coercion
• over-inclusion
(easy access)
• Coercion
• Proxy-consents
• injustice - inequality Poverty &
financial
independe
nce
Poor health
Illeteracy
Lack of
legal
protection

10. How shall we act?
• More detailed protocols (e.g.
recruitment)
• More simplified consents (pilot)
As researchers
• Require more details in protocols
• Monitoring & follow-up
• Involve and Train community members
As ethics
committees
• To advocate & raise community
awareness
• Act as “whistle blowers”
At community
level (Local NGOs
and CBOs)

11. Reference & Contact information
• The Arab Human Development Report 2005 “Towards the Rise of Women in
the Arab World”, United nations development programme (UNDP), Arab Fund
For economic and social development, and Arab gulf programme For United
nations development organizations (http://www.arab-
hdr.org/publications/other/ahdr/ahdr2005e.pdf)
• To contact me:
Ghaiath Hussein, Doctoral Researcher (University of Birmingham, UK)
Address:
Room 122, Public Health Building (Y17)
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
Mobile: +447907731427
E-mail: ghaiathme@gmail.com