Kuwaiti women enter the police force for the second year in a row

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Women in the US: "Don't forget about us!"

While the majority of this blog pertains to gender politics in Kuwait and elsewhere in the Middle East, Christiane Amanpour's recent CNN International report about the woman's movement in the United States (you might be trying to refresh your memory about this) cannot be ignored. Her guests included film producer Louise Vance and Marie Wilson of The White House Project. Vance spoke of her recent documentary "Seneca Falls" and of the often forgotten arduous path of female suffrage in the United States. Many in the current generation of post-grads think that the US women's movement is over, thanks to the efforts of our mothers and grandmothers (and the supportive men). Yet, given the extensiveness of the United States' democracy and the access that American women have to public office compared to elsewhere across the globe, the numbers in the legislature do not match up, as these CNN guests pointed out: the US ranks 78th world-wide for female political representation in congressional/parliamentary bodies. Living in Kuwait today amongst the current women's rights movement, I am reminded of similar rhetoric that began in 1848 in the United States at the first women's rights convention (bonus points if you know the name). While American women may be a generation or two ahead of Kuwaiti women in terms of political equality, the former should not slip into complacency or take for granted the "badass" women that the documentary describes.

"Seneca Falls" Article Here

More information about The White House Project

Ongoing debate: Are Kuwaiti women capable of being judges and is Kuwait ready to embrace them?

With the right to vote safely under Kuwaiti women's belts and electoral representation manifested by four female MPs, next on the agenda for many women's rights activists in Kuwait is the issue of appointing female judges. While Kuwait is not alone in the region for its exclusion of women from this position, a strong movement is underway for this issue to be at the forefront of the national women's rights movement. Those who support women becoming judges assert that the current status is unconstitutional and a qualified woman's capability is undeniable. As one enthusiastic women's rights activist claimed about this issue, "Impossible is nothing. Look at Obama becoming President of the United States." Her sense of urgency can easily be felt. She is not alone in her thinking, and as such, the matter is elevated to the highest degree of importance in the minds of many, both male and female, Kuwaitis. Those opposed, however, claim that women are too emotional, are not ready for this responsibility yet, and are not capable of handling the stress of the job. In a recent event attended by several Kuwaiti female lawyers and MP Ali Al-Rashed, the only male MP on the women's rights subcommittee in Kuwait's National Assembly, most attendees agreed on the end result: qualified women should have the right to be appointed as judges, women are necessary for certain cases especially dealing with Family Law, and there is no article in the Kuwaiti Constitution to prolong women's absence from this role. Opposition for this movement is based on various interpretations of Shari'a Law and its role in society. One university professor in this field spoke at the event and later surrendered to a few in the audience who felt that her ideas were drifting from the main focus of the event. Her opinion deserved to be heard at the least. She argued that policy makers and members of Kuwaiti society should not jump into such change so quickly and that there were other issues to consider when appointing a female judge, such the question of her ability to work late hours, an often touchy subject in this conservative society. Women in the audience rhetorically asked if the professor felt that all current appointed male judges were qualified. In response, the professor suggested that Kuwaitis review the Sunni sources of law to find an answer to this debate. By opening up the door of appointing female judges, more questions concerning a woman's role in society come into place, as she argued. However, if a woman is appointed to the position of judge, it is hoped that she would be considered for eligibility in the same manner as her male colleagues; anything less would be reverse or unfair qualification, would it not?

Egyptian Female cab drivers pave the way in the region

Article Here

Female cab drivers recently began service for women only in Cairo, a city known by some female visitors and commuters for its harassment. As a former ex-pat and student in Cairo, I have witnessed that such harassment comes in a variety of forms often experienced at multiple times of day: kissing noises, exclamations of "Ya, gameel!" ("hey, pretty girl!"), "Ishta!" ("Cream!" supposedly a huge compliment), whistles, or penetrating stares. The auto service aims to diminish what many local and foreign women claim to be daily annoyances that can occur while walking down the street or sitting quietly in the back seats of the notoriously decrepit taxis. By providing women with the option to ride with female drivers, female customers may feel a sense of relief and even reduce the amount of haggling that usually accompanies the taxi experience in this bustling city. The service, however, is likely to produce varying results. While a temporary solution to the problem of harassment in Egypt, the question remains as to how this will have, if any, long-term effects. Does this really solve the problem or create more divisions in the genders? Will the female cab drivers feel more "empowered" in society and will this lead to other stereotypically male jobs being filled by more women? Does it change social attitudes or would altering legislation toward the issue have a more profound impact? In the mean time, some family members and women themselves may feel that they are in "safer hands". No doubt, this is an interesting way to address the issue, but if the ultimate goal is to make women in general feel comfortable in the public space and hold others accountable for their actions, only time will tell how useful the pioneering idea will be.

Some MPs argue for Kuwaiti women's travel permission

Article Here

MP Dr. Massouma Al-Mubarak adamantly opposes this idea.

See Also: Article Here

Family Day in Kuwait

Article Here

The family in Kuwait is still viewed as the central religious and moral point in society. In fact, these two seem to be one in the same.

Freedom House releases 2010 report on the status of women throughout the Arab world

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The Women's Cultural and Social Society (WCSS) hosts event to encourage young men and women to persist in the face of social challenges

Article here

Four Kuwaiti women spoke on a panel representing their various fields about the obstacles they faced to get where they are today. Furthermore, the panelists addressed challenges that are different today for young women than when the women were first developing their respective professional careers.

Ongoing debate: Women playing soccer, participating in Olympics in Kuwait

Article here

Kuwaiti university students express their opinions on women playing soccer in Kuwait.

Article Here

The second article acknowledges MPs Dr. Rola Dashti and Massouma Al-Mubarak's opinions on this issue at an event sponsored by the WCSS in which the female members of the soccer team were recognized in an awards ceremony for their efforts.

Article here

MP Dr. Aseel Al-Awadhi claims that this rejection of Kuwaiti women's participation is attributed to the, "misogynistic system put in place in Kuwaiti to prevent women from practicing their full role in society and have nothing to do with Islam itself". (quote taken from above article)

National Assemby sponsors conference on the status of women to mark International Women's Day

Article here

Jassem Al-Khorafi, speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, was the main sponsor for Kuwait's first ever conference on the status of women in honor of International Women's Day on March 8. He said, "Their contribution must remain within the restraints and norms of Kuwaiti society and culture. "Khorafi also stated that, "A woman's role in preserving the fabric of Kuwaiti society and family should be strengthened." The conference allowed female participants and guests to express their greatest concerns with the current Personal Status Law, which directly affects Kuwaiti women and children, and enabled the current four female MPs along with other participating male MPs to take note of such grievances. The aim was to garner public support around the priority women's rights laws to be changed and the best rhetoric that should be used to do so. MP Massouma Al-Mubarak stated in the conference that this forum promotes "the logical and legal demands necessary to improve the status of women". (all quotes taken from above article)

On the Occasion of International Women's Day

Article here

From the results of a recent Freedom House survey, Kuwait is highlighted as a Gulf Arab nation making great gains for women's rights while simultaneously initiating contradictory laws. Universities and public schools are segregated by gender along with certain public spaces such as movie theatres and restaurants where a "family section" is separated from the "bachelor section". Nevertheless, it must be noted that in this exact same survey conducted by Freedom House in 2005, Gulf Arab states were among the worst results. Today, the large jump in improvement in Kuwait's case specifically is attributed to the fact that since 2005, women gained the right to vote and four women were elected to the National Assembly for the first time. Additionally, Kuwaiti women make up the highest percentage of university graduates and more women are becoming aware of their rights and opportunities via the internet.