See: Raya El Hassan, first woman minister of the interior of the Arab world

Raya Al Hassan:

• Raya al-Hassan, one of the four women holding ministerial portfolios in the new government, more than ever in Lebanon, and three more women ministers than in the previous government, whose men were all men except the minister of the Status of Women.
• Although Raya has already held positions of responsibility, notably that of Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2011, her appointment as head of the Ministry of the Interior was widely hailed as a progress for women in Lebanese politics .

Three ministers:

• The other three ministers, made up of 30 ministers, are responsible for the Ministries of Energy, Administrative Development and Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth.
• Although Lebanon is widely considered liberal by regional standards, with women playing a leading role in public life, some of its laws continue to maintain the dominant social order.

Laws of Lebanon:

• Many Lebanese civil laws, including personal status issues such as marriage, divorce and inheritance, are applied according to the religious community.
• In some cases, women are treated differently from men. In Lebanon, 17 Muslim and Christian communities are recognized.
• In 2017, Parliament repealed an old law that exempted male rapists from punishment for marrying their victims.
• However, marital rape and child marriage are still not considered to be against the law.

Men's political axis:

• Men are still at the center of Lebanese politics. The complex power-sharing system on a sectarian basis has helped to consolidate the power of the former warlords and the power of the political families, all male, who control the government and the parliament.
• However, Violet Safadi, secretary of state for the economic empowerment of women and youth, said that a stronger representation of women in government meant that they had "broken the fence" .

Context

• More than two weeks ago, the Lebanese presidency announced the formation of a new national unity government to end nine-month disputes over quota sharing in the government.
• The announcement of the new government comes after a meeting at the Baabda Presidential Palace attended by President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri and President Nabih Berri.
• Discussions on the formation of a national unity government began after the May parliamentary elections, the first in nine years.
• Since the announcement of the election results, the Hariri government, formed at the end of 2016, has continued its activities.