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The Role of Women in Kuwaiti Politics
Introduction
Kuwait is a rapidly growing modernizing country where women enjoy a number of similar social and civil rights that men do enjoy. The country has gone through numerous economic, political, and social developments throughout the 20th century. Regardless of this, rulers in Kuwait continue to cherish that fact that Kuwait can be a developed nation with its traditionally organized formation. The people of Kuwait dream that “Kuwait can be simultaneously a "developed" country and a "traditional" tribally organized” (Tetreault 204, p. 203). Social formation run by an autocratic ruler Rulers such as Emir Mubarak consolidated the power of ruling Sabah family against merchant clans that dominated before. More, the ruler made sure that his autocratic reign could go beyond his descendants after his death. In the reign of Emir Abdullah al-Salim, policies, which strengthened social forces in Kuwait, were emphasized. In as much as women enjoy similar social and civil rights as men, they are deprived of several political rights that men enjoy. Whereas they are entitled to take part as voters as well as candidates in the administration of local cooperatives stores, they are offered with the chance to run for national legislature/vote for its members. In the month of May, 1999, the emir of Kuwait promulgated a decree that offered women with the right to vote and for public office in municipal and parliamentary elections. The decree was overturned by parliament thus the numerous protests that were witnessed in different parts of the country. The move prompted mass protests by civic activists during which many women stormed registration offices (Tetreault 204). The paper seeks to discuss the role of women on politics of Kuwait since it has elicited a heated debate.
Freedom of people in Kuwait The state of Kuwait embraces Islamic religion with majority of the nationals being Muslims. Muslim women have the freedom to carry out their religion. Women are comfortable with Islamic lifestyle by wearing the hijab. Kuwait women enjoy moderately unrestrained freedom of movement; they can travel abroad without male relative. A number of corporations send their female employees to overseas conference trips. It is not very common for them to face issues in their employment as a result of gender-related travel restrictions. Women aged 21 and above can obtain a passport without asking for permission from their guardians or husbands. The personal status law justifies male dominance over women Kuwait. Nevertheless, it requires husbands to provide support to their children and wives. Interestingly, Kuwaiti society keeps on upholding the conception that the role of women has to be primarily constrained to domestic sphere that comprise of taking care of children. This conception is the one that has strained the role of women in politics (Alibeli and Neil 57). The struggle to attain the political rights of women in Kuwait has been a perennial issue in the politics of the country right from the adoption of 1962 constitution. This has also followed the passage of subsequent laws that govern elections. Just like a constitution of developed nations such as United States, the constitution of Kuwait does not discriminate between men and women as far as respect to rights of citizenship is concerned. Nonetheless, many laws adopted under the constitution like those that regulate elections do not favor women. In a number of occasions, Kuwaiti parliament has resisted repeated appeals for enfranchisement by women who are eager to enjoy the entire panoply of rights that are conferred to men by the country’s constitution. The fight of equal rights as men by women together with the 1999 surprising initiatives highlight the prominence of gender as an axis of conflict in the Kuwaiti society. In essence, gender politics in Kuwait acts as a proxy for group antagonisms. The first women’s organization in Kuwait was actively involved in lobbying for broader involvement of women in equal political rights, labor market, and cultural as well as educational opportunities. The 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of Kuwait became the turning point for the liberation of women’s social and political rights. It was during this period that a number of women assumed crucial social responsibilities and became essential in the continued existence of their beleaguered community. Some women volunteered in hospitals to compensate for the lack of medical staff (Juliá and Hadi 584). Lack of civil status for Kuwaiti women was expressed in laws that denied them the political rights. Elite women who have been visible in various public arenas were published in press. Today, the president of University is women. The vice president of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is a woman. Elite women in Kuwait use their positions to uphold the social status quo as well as to preserve class privileges. The status and survival of women in Kuwait depends on how they relate with men. In 1996, Kuwaiti parliamentary Islamists passed gender segregation law that led to the upsurge of interest in women movement in Kuwait. Women went on to demand their political rights but their efforts were thwarted by the fact that Islamists dominated a number of the key legislative committees. Even though women are excluded from participating directly in political activities either as voters or members of the national assembly, the role of women in Kuwait politics is very critical. The main reason why women do not play active role in politics is that in Kuwait, politics is not done in the context of political parties. In Kuwait, politics is carried out in non-political institutions and organizations such as the private sphere of home. Within and outside home, Kuwait women have been very critical in the expansion of political role of Islam and they have contributed to the current balance in the national assembly. The role of women in the family contributes to the stability of the country and government. The political rights of women have improved in the last five years. In the modern Kuwait, women can vote in municipal and national elections. Women in Kuwait have been voted into national and municipal parliament and they have also been appointed into ministerial positions. This was after the formulation of new laws that permitted much freedom of expression and association. Political parties are however, banned in Kuwait. To enhance the participation of women in politics, women have organized peaceful demonstrations, marches and protests to fight for their equal representation just like men. The grand demonstration against the exclusion of women in political activities was carried out in 2005 in front of national parliament. Women formed majority of the protesters and there was not report of harassment. This placed much pressure on parliament to enact legislations that consider the involvement of women in politics. The protests resulted in the amending of the elections Act to allow women to actively take part in politics (Tetreault 277). In Kuwait, women are not represented in the judiciary and even they hold senior positions such as investigative churches, they are not allowed to serve as judges of the court. Women make up approximately 20 percent of the members of the Kuwait Bar Association; furthermore, the participation of women in Kuwait diplomatic corps is very limited and until the 21st century, only few women were appointed to serve in the diplomatic community. It was only in 2005 that Kuwait women gained access to national and local government structures and it was during this time that women were appointed to serve in the Municipal Council. Women have also been appointed to serve as ministers. This is a clear indication of the emancipation of women to participate in future political activities. In the year 2005, the election law was amended to permit Kuwait women to vote and to be voted for into political officers. Women are however restricted on their participation by the Sharia law that curtains the freedoms of women. The implications for the participation of women in politics after the amendment of the electoral laws are very hard to gauge. The laws, for example, made it hard and illegal for women wearing hijab to vote in national and local elections. The laws also provided for segregated polling stations for women. This underscored the peripheral role played by women in Kuwait politics. Women were only restricted to their homes and to do their traditional duties. Changing of the electoral laws has made it easy for women to stand for elections; this has bored fruit because in the 2006 and 2008 elections, several women were elected to the national parliament. The minimal participation of women in politics in Kuwait is due to legal impediments, sex segregation and cultural constrains. Traditionally, the participation of women in Kuwait politics has been limited, but with the introducing of the democratization, women have been incorporated into the mainstream politics (Tetreault 277). Women began to be active in active politics. In 2005, two of them were appointed to local government positions. In the national government, Massouma al-Mubarak was appointed to a ministerial portfolio in the ministry of planning and state for administrative development affairs. In 2007, Nuryia al-Subeih became the second women to head ministerial portfolio. She was appointed to the ministry of education and higher studies. Still, in 2008, Modhi al-Homoud became the third women in the powerful ministerial portfolio. She was appointed to head the ministry of housing and administrative planning. In their respective positions, these women performed extraordinarily and it became apparent that women can in equal measure lead as men (Tetreault 277). In addition, Dr. Aseel al-Awadhi and Dr. Salwa al-Jassar were among the women that made history in Kuwait by becoming elected National Assembly in May 2009. Of all the 2010 parliamentary candidates, 16 of them were women. It was during this time that women worked for affirmative action. This was led by the minister of Education, Mohdi-al-Homoud. She increased the number of women in the parliament to five. Despite the fact that formal political parties in Kuwait remain banned, their legalization has been called for recently. Numerous informal political groups operate without any form of interference from the government. The most prominent parties are Islamic Popular Alliance, Islamic Constitutional Movement, and National Democratic Alliance. Kuwaiti women take part in various political groups. More to the point, they serve as founding members/contributing board members. It is only Islamic organizations that do not part in such activities because the participation of women is restricted to women’s committees (Tetreault 277). Women’s rights organization in Kuwait is faced with procedural challenges in their creation as well as management. The establishment of NGO has to be made directly to MOSAL, the leading authority in licensing. Moreover, the organization can terminate license when it realizes that it is participating in criminal/ fraudulent activities. There are more than 70 NGOs in Kuwait of which five of them belong to women. The women right groups work with regional and international conferences on the right of women. Today, women in Kuwait experience very minor restrictions on their freedom to access and use information to empower themselves in their political lives. Internet is widely used mode of communication both in homes, offices, and public cafes. However, websites that are deemed politically radical are censored but it continues to play a key role in changing the lives of women, as it allows them to network with worldwide organizations and share resources (Al-Sabah 200). Women’s activism is linked with the expansion of the rights of women in Kuwait. Religious revivalist movements do not act as vehicles for the liberation of women. The post-liberation parliamentary elections in Kuwait demonstrate that traditional political behaviors and royalties are eroding amongst all social groups in the country. However, desertization has established traditional and rural values to the city. More interestingly, it has brought modern and urban values to tribes. The values emancipates from education that has been imparted to the older generation thus the need to change the perceived role of women as only working in domestic spheres to active in politics of the country and it was evident in the 1999 elections. As women become active in politics, they moved from being possessions in their families to citizens in their own. This means that their interests began to multiply. Besides, they discovered that they can put their interest in their personal dreams, situations, and desires as well as the demands placed on them by their families and society. Lucky enough, there has been gender cohesion in Kuwait since the society realized the significance of essentalizing women as political actors (Meyer, Helen, and Yousef 133-34).

The gap between the level of human and civil rights guarantees for women in Kuwait as opposed to Kuwaiti Men stems from tradition that conceals the reality of subjection behind a veil of nostalgia. The state of imperialism in Kuwait left the country in political chaos and appeals to traditions found strong support in populations that were devastated by self-aggrandizing political regimes. The role of women in Kuwait changed in 2004. Laws were adopted that granted women greater freedom of expression and association but political parties are still banned. Women have the right to peaceful assembly that is on par with men. A number of them take part in organized protests and marches. The women that were elected in the various positions served to the best of their abilities are they championed the course for more women in the politics of Kuwait. They campaign yielded fruits as at the ministry of education was headed by a women. It became encouraging to others; currently, they are serving in various fields.
Works Cited
Alibeli, Madalla A., and Neil R. White. "Gender and Environmental Concerns in the Middle East." Perspectives on Global Development & Technology 10.1 (2011): 156-170.
Al-Sabah, Meshal. Gender and Politics in Kuwait: Women and Political Participation in the Gulf. , 2013. Print.
Juliá, Maria, and Hadi Ridha. "Women And War: The Role Kuwaiti Women Played During The Iraqi Occupation." Journal of International Development 13.5 (2001): 583-598.
Meyer, Katherine, Helen Rizzo, and Yousef Ali. "Islam and the Extension Of Citizenship Rights To Women In Kuwait." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 37.1 (1998): 131-144.
Tetreault, Mary Ann. "A State Of Two Minds: State Cultures, Women, and Politics in Kuwait." International Journal of Middle East Studies 33.2 (2001): 203.
Tetreault, Mary Ann. "Civil Society in Kuwait: Protected Spaces and Women's Rights." Middle East Journal 47.2 (1995): 275.