A Foreign Women in Palestine: Questions of safety and cultural norms are for sure something that a foreign woman would consider a lot before traveling to Palestine. In this article, I´m writing about my personal experiences as a woman living in Hebron, Palestine.
How to dress?
The first thing a woman might think of is how to dress. It is adviced for a woman to dress modestly, but what does this mean exactly? In the end, it is enough to cover your cleavage, arms to the elbow and legs down to the knees. A foreigner is not expected to use a headscarf.
The way the local women dress varies from traditional hijabs to Western-style outfits with a headscarf. It is not extremely common to wear a burka or niqab in Palestine. Personally, as I’m living in Hebron during the autumn and the weather can be chilly, I’m wearing the exact same clothes I would wear in Europe.
Free Time Activities
In the beginning, before you get to know the city and people it is possible that life feels a little bit more restricted for a woman than for a man. Many free-time activities are separated by gender: women go to the gym in the morning and afternoon, men in the evening. Parties, even weddings, are mostly separated. Coffeeshops for smoking shisha is not necessarily restricted for women, but quite often I find myself being the only woman in a mancave. Local men generally spend more of their free time outside of their homes than women.
However, this is just a matter of adjusting and finding your way around the social life. The Excellence Center is a big help in this. The many locals that are connected to the EC frequently organize parties, trips and other activities where everyone is invited. I have personally attended to many of these “male parties” where I’ve felt totally welcome.
Culture and norms
What comes to socializing with the opposite sex there are some cultural norms to be paid attention to. In Palestine, the culture of having a boyfriend or a girlfriend doesn’t exist the same way as in Western countries. People marry early and questions about your marital status will be frequent. This is just part of the culture and nothing personal. It is easy to simply answer this question “lissa” – not yet.
These cultural differences don’t make Hebron any less safe for a woman who’s planning to travel there. Hebron is a conservative city, which means that there is a certain type of respect towards women. Perhaps, for this reason, I have experienced far less sexual harassment than in many other countries. However, occasional catcalls on the streets happen anywhere else in the world. I have never felt unsafe in the city, even after dark.
Conclusions
To sum it up: just relax. The information you read on countless pages online about norms and practices regarding social life can be overwhelming, but all you really need to do is to observe what local people do in different situations and follow the lead.
