CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE 310. The CSAR mentions the demands certain civil society associations presented to the President of the Republic, upon the initiative of the Information and Documentation Centre on the Rights of the Child and of Women (CIDDEF), in a memorandum calling for the establishment by law of parity between men and women within political and public institutions. 311. In dealing with the effectiveness of measures and the problems encountered, the report maintains that the implementation of the national policy on the promotion of women has been translated into real advances in all spheres, as is illustrated by data on the education of young girls in all levels of education and training. The latter has in effect increased substantially, with numbers close to those of young boys and sometimes exceeding them (see Chapter Six). The development of the employment structure in respect of women over the period 1987–2003 shows that this has increased fivefold in agriculture, doubled in industry, and increased by more than a third in the services sector. Women have gained access to numerous professions, representing 37 per cent of judges, 50 per cent of teachers, 53 per cent of medical doctors and 32 per cent of senior managers, for example. Increasing numbers of women are heads of companies and agricultural exploitation, 10 000 and 40 000 respectively. 312. Despite all these advances, the authorities are aware that much remains to be done. Considering that the source of ongoing problems originates more from resistance to social change than from legislation or political orientation, the CSAR notes that this challenge will be overcome by implementing awareness and educational programmes, together with adequate accompanying measures, more especially those associated with childcare for very young children. This would allow young mothers to balance their professional and family lives. 313. The CSAR also reports on the differences of opinion in relation to the Family Code. Certain stakeholders believe that women remain the object of injustices, as reflected in some provisions of the Code. They call for the abrogation of these, as well as for the effective implementation of the rights provided by the Constitution regarding the prevention of polygamy and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. Others argue against any abrogation of the Family Code, on the grounds that the problem of women in Algeria does not reside in legislative texts but in the fact that perceptions need to change. A third line of thought is that the general body of laws, as a whole, encapsulates the spirit of egalitarianism. It is now a matter of implementing them through the adoption of proactive measures by the state, and their accompaniment on the ground by the various stakeholders. This diversity of opinions is underlined by surveys on the subject. Some 29 per cent of those surveyed feel that the measures taken to promote and protect the rights of women are perfect, 24.3 per cent that they are sufficient, 15.3 per cent average, 24.7 per cent insufficient and 6.7 per cent extremely inadequate. 314. In terms of the assessment of the situation of women in the country, the report emphasises that Algeria has adhered to all the international conventions on human rights in general, and on the rights of women in particular. The country duly fulfils its obligations in this respect and presents regular reports to the 103