A recent Arab Barometer survey reveals that Moroccan attitudes toward gender roles are evolving, with 47% of respondents agreeing that men make better political leaders than women, a 10-point drop from 2023-24. The survey, conducted by One to One for Research and Polling, sampled 1,210 citizens across all 12 regions between August 23 and September 6, 2025. Men and women are equally likely to hold this view. The survey also found that traditional views on male authority weakened on several fronts.
The survey showed that agreement that a man should have the final say in family decisions fell from 61% to 44%, a 17-point decline. This shift indicates a significant change in Moroccan attitudes toward gender roles. However, support for measures that would widen women's political representation has fallen. Backing for reserving a minimum number of parliamentary seats for women dropped from 71% in 2023-24 to 51% in 2025.
Support for a minimum number of cabinet positions for women also fell from 70% to 52% over the same period. These reversals mark the sharpest movements in the survey and run against the broader liberalizing trend. Despite this, support for equal workplace opportunities held steady at 64%, unchanged from the previous wave.
When asked about barriers to women's employment, Moroccans pointed to no single dominant obstacle. Social unacceptability and a lack of childcare were each cited by 13%, followed by inflexible working hours and bias against women in hiring at 12% each. A lack of relevant skills or education and a scarcity of jobs drew 10% each, low wages and insufficient legal protection 9% each, and transportation 8%.
Women were more likely than men to name childcare and job scarcity as barriers, while men more often cited inflexible hours and social unacceptability. The survey also found that perceptions of violence against women were mixed. 16% of respondents reported that such violence had increased over the previous year, up from 13% in 2023-24, while 42% judged it unchanged and 31% saw a decline.
Family and police ranked as the main sources of help for women facing abuse. 48% identified a male family member as someone a woman could turn to, 38% a female relative, and 35% the local police. Far fewer pointed to a clinic or hospital, at 14%, or a local organization, at 6%, while 5% said a woman would be unable to find any assistance at all.
Recognition of harassment remained broad, though reported levels eased. 71% described harassment by strangers on the street as very or fairly widespread, 8 points lower than in 2023-24, and 58% said the same of the workplace, down 7 points. 36% viewed harassment in the home as widespread. The survey's findings come at a notable moment, as Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri takes charge of the Moroccan government for the first time.
Key points
- Moroccan attitudes toward gender roles are growing less traditional.
- Support for measures that would widen women's political representation has fallen.
- Family and police are seen as main sources of help for women facing abuse.
