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The most pressing problems faced by women in Bahrain include the following:
– Discrimination in the workplace and denial of senior posts in both the
private and public sectors;
– Family law is uncodified and governed by all-male religious Sharia courts.
Influential sections of the religious establishment oppose a codified family
law, while the government has recently demonstrated a lack of interest in
pursuing the matter. Meanwhile, Sharia courts and Public Prosecution have
resorted to threatening activists who dare to criticize its discriminatory
positions and practices;
– Nationality: Children and spouses of Bahraini women married to non-
Bahraini men are not entitled to citizenship;
– Violence against women: Sexual harassment and domestic abuse against
women is commonplace, with very little institutional support for victims, and
marital rape is not considered a crime under Bahraini law.