ABSTRACT
It looks as if during the hundred years of my grandmother’s lifetime more changes have taken place in the life of the Palestinian people than in the preceding centuries. The Arab region suffered 400 years of darkness under the yoke of the Ottoman empire, and this darkness affected the life of every individual, particularly the lives of women. In Palestine, every village was a selfsufficient economic unit, unconnected to other regions. The nature of economic life was largely agricultural and agriculture was directed at self-sufficiency The main characteristic of the economy was simple production, with two objectives: own consumption and exchange. Most of the income from the latter went to the big landowners and the tax collectors. Social relations reflected the feudal system. The oppressive local customs and the social system contributed to reinforcing the inferior position of women.
