Women in Palestine steer through the roads of a hardscrabble life

In a world which is considered increasingly dominated by males, women are still looked upon as suitable for 'soft' jobs, like a receptionist or saleswoman. So when they take up heavy-duty jobs, they raise eyebrows – and grab eyeballs. As happened with Dalia al-Darawish. The petite Palestinian woman, in a purple headscarf, steering the wheel of a 30-tonne truck through crowded Palestinian streets made men stop and gawp at this unusual figure.

Dalia al-Darawish is preparing for an exam to become one of only a handful of qualified female Palestinian truck drivers, a test the 26-year-old sees as about more than just driving.

"It is symbolic," she said. "It shows we can do anything — that as a woman you can work, drive a trailer or whatever."

The mother-of-two is among several Palestinian women pushing boundaries in the city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid a growing assertiveness of women's rights.

Darawish said she had faced criticism from both sexes as she trained, but the men were far more vocal.

"They are some who supported, a minority," she said. "But then there are people shouting in the street, 'No, why are you driving a trailer?!'"

"Whenever I made any mistake you would find men shouting, 'It's impossible (for you).'"

At the driving centre, she shakes slightly as her black-moustached examiner Issam Bedawi explains the test.

After briefly demonstrating her ability to detach and re-attach the trailer, the two clamber up into the carriage and drive off.

3D art

The demonstrators are demanding more protection for women, but also a more prominent political movement for women's rights.

Palestinian women still often give up their careers to care for children.

A World Bank study last year found that 58 percent of skilled women between 25 and 34 were unemployed, compared to 23 percent of men.

The general unemployment rate for women (44 percent) is double that of men, according to official Palestinian statistics.

Palestinian artist Wafaa al-Adhami paints a picture at her home. AFP

Wafaa al-Adhami had long dreamt of being an artist, but didn't have the opportunity to study growing up.

But five years ago and with the kids older, she returned to her passion, studying hours of videos about artists on YouTube.

"Painting and art courses are expensive and I had no time," she said. "So I loved educating myself."

Palestinian Dalia al-Darawish prepares for her exam. AFP

"Every artist has their own style, and I wanted to find mine," she said.

From her living room table with an array of children passing through, she developed a specific layering technique for her work, pouring the paint onto the canvas before sculpting and manipulating it.

The result is a 3D texture that she says is unique among Palestinian artists.

Her inspiration ranges from Palestinian icons such as the Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem to more Jackson Pollock-inspired surrealism.

A recent 40-work exhibition was a big hit.

Changed a little

Elsewhere in the city, 31-year-old Asia Amer has set up what she believes is Hebron's first women-only restaurant.

Palestinian women eat at the Queen Restaurant for women only. AFP

The idea behind the Queen Restaurant, she said, is to give women a space to feel at home.

Those who normally wear the hijab can remove the headscarf if they wish.

"I felt that it was the right of women to have a place they can relax in — where there are no restrictions or people watching her," she said.

"I am proof that Palestinian women don't just stay at home to cook and look after the children."

Back at the driving test centre, Darawish pulls the trailer to a stop and waits nervously as Bedawi tallies up the score.

"I'm happy to say she passed," he announces. "Everything I asked of her during the test she did fantastically."

Darawish doesn't even know if she will work as a truck driver, as right now she is still looking after her children.

But she said she wanted to help drive change in attitudes.

"Society has changed a little. There have been some developments, but not enough," she said.

"If there had been big movement, men who see a woman driving a trailer would be happy or they wouldn't say anything at all."

Agence France-Presse