Between the hope of breaking barriers for women, and expectations related to work, economic independence, and social rights, the arrival of Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri to head the government in Morocco raises a question that goes beyond the symbolism of the event: Will the female presence at the top of the pyramid of power translate into a tangible change in the lives of Moroccan women?
The reactions of Moroccan women to the arrival of Fatima Zahraa Al-Mansouri to the presidency of the government vary, between those who see the event as a historical moment that restores the presence of women in decision-making positions, and those who consider that the importance of the experience will not be determined by the gender of the person who leads the government, but rather by the policies that it will adopt and the results that it will achieve.
Economic independence and child protection
For Sohaila Zaaj, a Moroccan regional director of water management in France, the appointment of a woman to head the government represents an important symbolic and historical step, consecrating the principle that access to positions of responsibility must be based on merit and competence, regardless of gender.
As for her expectations from the Prime Minister, she says: “My expectations from her are the same as my expectations from any male prime minister: improving education and health, creating job opportunities, improving purchasing power, and combating social and regional disparities.”
Regarding the top priorities, she says: “I hope to focus on economic independence, employment, and access to decision-making positions, because the economic status of women reflects the level of development in any country, and improving their status is not a privilege, but rather an investment in the development of the entire society.”
Suhaila's expectations do not stop at women's issues, as she calls for protecting children from neglect, exploitation and violence, especially those who find themselves in the middle of conflicts between parents after divorce.
She comments on some of the men's initial reactions, saying: "It seems that they are waiting for her from the first mistake*, to say: 'No people will succeed who are governed by a woman.' That's why I want her to succeed, but I don't want my sympathy for her to overshadow the political aspect. I wish her success as a woman, and at the same time I want to maintain my critical outlook."
Amazigh culture and identity
Visual artist Zahira Tigtit received the news of the appointment of the Prime Minister with great joy, and says: “For me, the news is not only political, but rather a sentimental and historical event. I cried with joy because, for the first time in the history of Morocco, we see a woman at the head of the government.”
Zahira recalls Al-Mansouri’s path from being a lawyer to heading a group to the ministry to heading the highest executive body, saying: “Her accession to this position represents breaking a barrier in the field of responsibility, and a restoration of respect for me and for all women, because they face additional challenges to prove their competence in various fields that are dominated by a male presence.”
Regarding her expectations, Zahira calls for reforming the system of supporting artists, expanding support to include creative people in villages and small towns, and paying attention to the Amazigh heritage as a source of creativity and a component of Moroccan identity.
She adds: "I call for real programs to support women's entrepreneurship and rural women who work in agriculture, wool and pottery making, and to ensure that women benefit from their rights to administrative documents, inheritance, and public services."
Zahira summarizes her aspirations by saying: “I do not ask her to serve women only, but to succeed as head of a government that represents all Moroccans. However, her success in the women’s issue will remain the true measure of change. I hope with all my heart that she will not disappoint us, and that she will be able to overcome the failures of previous governments headed by men, and achieve what they were unable to achieve.”
Widowed and divorced women
As for Kawthar Fadel, a shop worker, she expressed her feelings upon receiving the news by saying: “It was joyful and shocking news at the same time, because we were accustomed to the prime minister being a man.”
Kawthar points out "the conditions of widows and mothers who bear the responsibility of raising children, without always having the necessary resources to cover school and treatment expenses. She hopes that Al-Mansouri will take into account that she is a woman and feel more sensitive to the suffering of all women."
She adds: “Praise be to God that Moroccan women now have a voice and are heard in the world and are working in all fields, but that does not negate their need for more attention and social protection. There are women who do not work and others who are widows with children and assistance must be provided to them, whether in terms of schooling or medical care for them and their children, because, as she puts it: “This thing is harmful to the mind.”
She believes that "it is necessary for her to be a woman president that she feels women, whether in terms of the humiliation she is exposed to in some fields of work, on the street, or in the family, and I hope that she will do her best to take care of Moroccan women."
Women do not represent decision-making power
But is the arrival of a woman to head the government enough to change public policies directed at women? This question is answered by the researcher in gender geography and political geography, Amine Bougalbi, who considers that “the matter could open a window of opportunity in the direction of strengthening public policies related to women, but it is difficult to talk about the production of these policies as a result solely of the presence of a woman at the head of the government.”
She explains, "The matter is related to the presence of a women's movement capable of lobbying and pleading, a vigilant civil society, and institutions charged with equality that have real powers, budgets, work programs, and measurable indicators."
Amina stresses the need to distinguish between descriptive representation, meaning that the representative resembles those she represents, and substantive representation, meaning that this representative works for their benefit.
The researcher recalls the development of the female presence in the Moroccan House of Representatives, from two female representatives in 1993 to 107 female representatives in 2026, i.e. 27% of the Council, and women in the regional councils constitute 38.5% of the members of the regional councils.
But when moving from numerical representation to positions of power and decision-making, the gap becomes more apparent. Between 1993 and 2016, women held only 17 positions out of 184 positions of responsibility in the House of Representatives.
She was concentrated in office support and accounting functions. A woman has never headed the Council since 1963, and she has only headed a parliamentary team twice in two full terms. In addition to the concentration of female MPs’ powers in the social, education and justice sectors committees, while the finance and interior committees remain male strongholds.
Based on these statistics, Bugalbi asserts: “Measuring change requires looking at the results, not just the number of women in positions, including the extent of the progress of legislative reforms, the development of women’s participation in the labor market, the activation of the gender-responsive budget, and the strengthening of women’s presence in decision-making positions.”
Amina concludes by saying: “Through the field research I conducted in the Council, women in positions of responsibility are subject to a double evaluation, as political actors and women, which may force them to make double efforts to prove their competence. In my view, the Prime Minister will be subjected to the same situation, and all her steps and actions will be evaluated, from her dress to the way she speaks and greets her.”
Woman or feminist in office?
For her part, Latifa Al-Bohusseini, a university professor and researcher specializing in women’s history, believes that the gender of the person who leads the government is not a decisive factor in achieving women’s expectations. She explains: “I want to draw attention to the importance of distinguishing between feminist women who carry a feminist project whose goal is to gradually eliminate discrimination, exclusion, violence, and the reduction of opportunities on the basis of gender, and the fact that women are biologically women. That is why I always bring to mind the goal, which is the gradual elimination of the patriarchal structure that penetrates the imagination, mentality, mentality, and psyche.”
Latifa continues, "If feminists reach the head of the government here, I can maintain my vigilance about what they will present, but the situation is not related to the issue of feminists in the political, intellectual and philosophical sense. For me, I pay attention mainly to the political program of the party embodied by the Prime Minister, and in our case it is related to the Authenticity and Modernity Party, which was practically within the previous government majority and Al-Mansouri is part of it. Therefore, I do not believe or imagine that it is possible for things to change upside down overnight."
On the other hand, Latifa draws attention to the fact that the increasing presence of women since independence in educational professions at various levels, and in the labor market in general, despite the challenges it faces, in addition to their intrusion into the professions of justice and documentation, with their connotations and symbolism in Moroccan society, constitutes an important transformation. She asserts that this transformation “would not have been possible without the accumulation of public policies in Morocco, despite their limitations and the major imbalances they marred,” as she puts it.
But she added, "This does not eliminate the continuing barriers that limit their access to decision-making positions and actual influence on policies. Decision-making has not yet moved to a political system that allows the government to have major authority to make decisions, and the women's issue should not be isolated from its general context."
