October 14, 2025
In 2012, the Algerian parliament was mockingly dubbed the “parliament of hairdressers,” a reference to the female members elected through the women’s quota system. Many critics claimed these women’s electoral success stemmed not from competence or political influence, but from token representation.
The women's quota system was part of the 2008 constitutional reforms designed to promote women's participation in politics. A basic law was passed in 2012, allocating between 20 and 50 percent of elected council seats to women at the municipal, provincial, and parliamentary levels, according to the total number of seats and population density.
This law sparked widespread controversy before being repealed in 2020, a decision that Algerian feminist activist Amel Hadjadj describes as an example of the discrimination experienced by Algerian women.
After the 2012 quota law boosted women’s representation in parliament to 31.6 percent—earning Algeria praise across the region—the 2021 election law reduced that share to around eight percent, through what Hadjadj describes as merely nominal gender parity on electoral lists.
“The most dangerous thing is that a discourse of competence is used to justify this drop, when we know that women in Algeria are more educated and have more university degrees than men. Such a criterion is not used when it comes to men; it’s just used as an excuse to exclude women,” she says.
Article 35 of the Algerian Constitution, amended in 2020, prohibits discrimination between male and female citizens in rights and duties. It also calls for the removal of barriers that hinder mutual acceptance and the effective participation of all in political, economic, social, and cultural life.
However, what actually happens within some institutions shows there is “a gap between the text and how it is applied, because there are no clear and effective implement mechanisms to strictly enforce the legal principle.”
Lawyer Aicha Zamit believes that legal texts alone are not enough and that the problem lies in weak enforcement and oversight, and the failure to assign disciplinary and criminal responsibility when discrimination is proven.
There are many stories of Algerian women facing institutional violence and discrimination. Rayan (not her real name) works in marketing for a private company. She says she has suffered discrimination and exclusion repeatedly throughout her career. And she believes her experience reflects a widespread reality for many women in the workplace in Algeria.
"In my first job, I discovered that a colleague who’d recently graduated was on a higher salary than mine, even though I had three to four years of experience in the job. I had to bring it up with management to get a salary review, and it was only after I did that my salary was adjusted to 52,000 Algerian dinars, only slightly higher than his salary," says Rayan.
Algerian legislation guarantees equal pay for men and women, as laid down in Law No. 90-11 of the Labour Code: “Every employer must ensure equal pay for work of equal value with no discrimination.”
Rayan says her next job experience was no better: “In my second job, my female manager regularly and deliberately used derogatory language with the whole team, and one day she said to me: “If I were you, I’d kill myself.” After a humiliating incident where she picked on me in front of everyone, I went during my lunch break to the labour inspectorate, and handed in my notice that same afternoon.”
In her current job, Rayan says things are even worse: “The first time I met the general manager he said: ‘Take your clothes off and dance on the desk.’ He’d constantly called me names like ‘my little darling’ and ‘my lovely little one.’ He’d pick holes in my work and order me around in meetings, saying: ‘Shut up!’ And he’d make derogatory and sexual remarks.”
At the end of her interview Rayan said: “At the moment he ignores me. But I’ve chosen to document his behaviour and keep hold on to the evidence, so I can take formal action later.”
Asma, who works as a senior assistant in the film industry, tells of the inappropriate behaviour she has run across in her career, saying it happens whenever she takes on a position of responsibility.
“Sometimes it’s directly offensive, and sometimes indirect. But it happens mostly when someone doesn’t like the fact that I’m in a position of responsibility. Usually I work as a regular assistant, but when I’m made lead assistant, things get more complicated,” she says.
She explains that it becomes particularly difficult dealing with departmental heads or area officials, who say things like, “Hey, are you the one giving orders?”
“Often I’m criticized or told off in front of everyone, just because I am in a position of responsibility within the team. There’s always this lack of respect simply because I’m a woman leading part of the work.”
A study conducted in Algeria in 2017 indicates that women are relatively well represented in the communications sector and the press, both print and broadcast, though they have a limited presence in leadership positions.
The study shows that women have a strong presence in Algeria’s media sector, making up 50 percent of all employees. In the public television corporation, 57 percent of journalists are women, many of whom now occupy roles that were once male-dominated.
However, their representation in senior leadership remains limited, with only one woman holding a director-level position. Women account for 33 percent of middle management and 42 percent of leadership roles in public radio, yet have not reached the top executive ranks. In print and online journalism, women author 44 percent of French-language articles and 37 percent of Arabic-language ones.
Samira (not her real name) is an experienced journalist who has worked in radio and television for years. But despite building up considerable experience, she is always passed over for promotion.
“As a woman, I’ve faced many obstacles in my career and the main one is social. We live in a patriarchal society that rejects the idea of women working or even being visible, especially in the media, which requires constant commitment and presence,” she says.
Samira also points to the absence of women in government as another clear example of discrimination. No woman has ever led one of the key ministries, like interior, justice, foreign affairs, or defence, even though there are many highly qualified women. She adds that the same thing happens in the media: “There are virtually no women in decision-making positions. There are no female directors running media institutions – whose heads are appointed by presidential decree - such as the state press agency, television and radio, all of which are run by men.”
Feminist activist Amel Hadjadj believes that women’s limited access to leadership roles and decision-making positions is a direct, and dangerous, result of systemic discrimination. This inequality, she explains, reinforces perceptions of women as “inferior” and perpetuates stereotypes that can cause women to doubt their own leadership and decision-making abilities. “We’ve seen fierce bullying campaigns and personal attacks against women as soon as they reach positions of power,” Amel adds. “They’re often criticized over personal matters in a deeply masculine way, while men are never held to the same standard.”
Nouria Benghabrit, a former minister of education, is a prime example of this. In 2016, she was the target of bullying and hate campaigns on social media, which focused on where she was from, her lack of proficiency in Arabic, and her reformist opinions, rather than on her actual policies.
Similarly, the appointment of Leila Aslaoui as president of the Constitutional Court of Algeria sparked a widespread public reaction in August 2025, given the importance of the court in the country's political system.
The mere mention of Leila Aslaoui’s name was enough to ignite a social media debate, with controversy centering on her age and questions arising about how to empower younger generations to assume sensitive positions.
Activist Amel Hadjadj explains that such campaigns and other obstacles put in the way of women make many reluctant to enter politics or demand promotion. She cites the 2021 legislative elections, when some female candidates opted to put their names on electoral lists but not their photos, so they would not be ridiculed.
She also notes that verbal abuse and online bullying targeting female politicians have made many women hesitant to engage in politics or pursue leadership positions.
Amel believes the situation is so bad that serious steps need to be taken, including bringing in a law to specifically criminalise slander and abuse of women, especially in the public and political spheres.
Women's participation in the labour market is on the increase. The female economic activity rate rose from 15 percent in 2014 to 19 percent in 2024, but still lags well behind that of men, according to a study conducted by the Foundation for Equality (CIDDEF) in 2024.
Despite the progress they have made, women still face greater difficulties than men in finding work. Unemployment is higher among women and the trend has been upward since 2014.
Most women work in the health and social services sectors, where they outnumber men. They also surpass men in intellectual and professional fields.
The difficulties women face are compounded when it comes to taking part in trade unions. “Trade union activity is considered a political act that is discouraged by society. Management tries to demonize and marginalize union activity, and those involved can find themselves under pressure or harassed by the security services. Women trade unionists are also picked on by management and its agents. This is because those in management in Algeria are poorly trained and unaware of labour law,” according to a report entitled “The Representation of Women Trade Unionists in Algeria: Reality and Challenges.”
The report shows there has been significant progress in the participation of women in trade unions, but that their representation in leadership positions remains limited. They are also completely absent from teams involved in negotiations.
There have been renewed demands from civil society organizations and women's associations to combat all forms of violence and discrimination against women in Algeria. For example, Latifa Dib, a lawyer and President of the National Organization of Algerian Women's Competencies and Elites, appealed directly to the country’s president for “ ensuring parity between women and men in senior state positions in the state,” in line with the terms of the constitutional amendment of 2020.
“We want to see real and serious female talent in all departments - including the presidency, advisory positions, and ministries as well as other state institutions - on a par with men, because of the capability women possess and in accordance with the principles of justice and equality,” says Latifa Dib.
Feminist activist Amel Hadjadj, who is also president of the Feminist Newspaper Foundationbelieves that the first step should be a comprehensive review of the relevant legislation and repeal of discriminatory clauses, especially in family law; reinstatement of the quota system as a transitional mechanism; and passing of strict laws against institutional violence.
Rayan, the marketing manager with a private institution, calls for urgent measures to reduce institutional discrimination against women, including stronger and rigorously enforced legislation. She also wants to see guarantees for female access to leadership positions and the provision of support to victims.
Samira, the journalist with years of experience, says women's empowerment must be based on their ability, not on gender-based arguments, while laws must be applied.
Asma, the senior assistant in the film industry, thinks that the problem is not always with the law, but rather that with a mindset of fear which limits women's access to decision-making positions. Here, civil society is an essential tool of support, she says.
Despite the reforms made and laws passed to guarantee equality, there is still a huge gap between words and reality. Women in Algeria face deep-rooted social, institutional, and cultural obstacles in their path to achieving fair access to decision-making positions.
Human rights and feminist advocates are once again calling not only for new legislation, but also for effective mechanisms to ensure protection and accountability. They emphasize that true equality requires more than words on paper; it demands a shift in prevailing mindsets so that women’s genuine participation is recognized as a vital driver of development and democracy.
This story was published in Arabic in: Hounna
