Morocco’s Family Code: Improving Equality for Women

Morocco’s adoption of a new family code in 2004 was hailed as a great step forward for women’s rights domestically and as a model for the broader Muslim world. Morocco’s new family code, commonly referred to as the Moudawana, introduced a range of measures that enhance women’s equality in marriage, divorce, and other aspects of family life. This article provides an overview of the events leading up to the enactment of the Moudawana, its major innovations that enhance the equality of women, initial assessments on the implementation of the law, and areas that merit additional attention.