Personal Status Law Case Study

IV SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

A. Family

The Personal Status Law governs family, which is based on Sharia law and assigns men and women different authorities and freedom. The Personal Status Law states that non-Muslims are allowed to pursue their own religious laws in regard family matters. The government proclaimed to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2000 that the Personal Law imposes that the age of marriage should not be less than 18 years for both males and females. Nonetheless, a judge can grant a marriage for a person under 18 if there is proof that it is in the minor’s concern.

According to data held by the UN from 2003, 4.2% of females aged 15-19 were married, widowed, or divorced (compared to 15.5% in 1995), and secondary education

Sharia law provides for detailed and complex calculations of inheritance shares.[35] Women may inherit from their father, mother, husband or children and, under certain conditions, from other family members.[36] However, their share is generally smaller than that to which men are entitled.[37] Female heirs, for example, inherit half as much as male heirs, unless a will has been left specifying otherwise.[38] It appears that women’s inheritance rights may not be respected, as according to al-Talei, writing in a 2010 report published by Freedom House, women are reluctant to bring inheritance cases to court, for fear of causing conflict within the

Oman is a monarchy, and the Sultan rules by decree; the current Sultan has been in power since 1970, and has introduced an expansive programme of reform and modernisation, within which women were active and visible participants. Classed by the World Bank as a high-income country, Oman’s economy is dependent on oil, agriculture and fishing, and tourism. The majority of the population are Ibadhi Muslim. Oman also has a large expatriate population – including a large number of female migrant domestic workers – who are not protected by legislation applicable to Omani citizens. In 2011, demonstrations took place in the capital, calling for political reforms, and job creation.

Despite increased participation in education and employment in comparison to some other countries in the region, Oman’s patriarchal culture and conservative religious norms serve to limit women’s rights and opportunities, leading to de facto and de jure discrimination against women in all areas of life. In addition, many women in Oman remain ignorant of what legal protection they are entitled to receive. That said, in recent years, women have begun to play a more prominent role in public life, including in the political sphere and in decision-making