Women in the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

[1] Article 41 of the Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic ensures that the state will pursue "the promotion of women and [their] political, social and cultural participation, in the construction of society and the country's development".

[2][3] The Polisario Front, a national liberation movement that is recognized by the United Nations as the representative of the people of Western Sahara since 1979, has attempted to modernize the society of the Sahrawi refugee camps that was set up in Tindouf Province, Algeria from 1975 to 1976, through emphasis on education, eradication of tribalism and emancipation of women.

[4] This together with literacy- and professional education classes produced major advances in the role of women in Sahrawi society.

The return of large numbers of Sahrawi men since the cease fire in 1991 may have slowed this development according to some observers, but women still run a majority of the camps' administration,[5] and the Sahrawi women's union UNMS is very active in promoting their role.

[10] In musical life, women traditionally play the ardin (plural irdiwen), which is a small lap harp with between nine and fourteen strings.