Women are a single element in any society under discussion. The recent focus on Middle Eastern women as women, their roles, positions and general behavior, has been an attempt, we believe, to point out that previous western studies of the Middle East have neglected this important element. Indeed, many of the scholarly books and monographs to appear in recent years seem to have been conceived and written as though the female half of the Middle Eastern world did not exist, or if it did, was simply a minor factor with little or no bearing on the processes of the society, and thus not worthy of more than passing consideration. The reasons for this neglect have been discussed before and by now should be obvious. They need not be repeated here.