In an article, professor and researcher Fatima Sadiqi recalls working with female colleagues to establish Morocco’s first Center for Studies and Research on Women in 1996. Their success in launching the Center led Sadiqi and her co-founders to create the country’s first Gender Studies Graduate Unit in 2000. At the time, Sadiqi was teaching at the University of Fès where, like most female professors, she confronted the glass ceiling hindering the advancement of women’s academic careers. Sadiqi remembers a doctoral student who was looking for a thesis advisor. After opening the door to Sadiqi’s office, the student discovered that “Dr. Sadiqi” was, in fact, a woman; the student excused himself immediately and left. This doctoral candidate missed an opportunity given that Sadiqi’s partner, Moha Ennaji, whose professional background mirrors her own, has claimed that Sadiqi works more than he does.
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