Kuwait: Dream for an equal role for women in society

By Sarah Alzouman, Staff writer Kuwait Times

KUWAIT: In honor of International Women's Day, Sout Al-Kuwait hosted a round table discussion about the role of women in Kuwaiti society which was attended by activists representing women in art, society, politics, sports and journalism.

Although the speakers and subject matter varied, the main message was that the dream for an equal role for women in society to benefit the entire nation required the cooperation of the entire nation to become a reality. "Women are assets to their nation socially, politically and in any field they participate in," stated Nabila Al-Anjeri, a former parliamentary candidate. Al-Anjeri said that this reality had unfortunately become lost among false claims that women's participation in politics contradicted moral or cultural values.

Dr Aseel Alawadhi, a professor at Kuwait University and former parliamentary candidate, added that a patriarchal society that excludes women from a number of spheres, including the political, is a major stumbling block on women's road to equality. "Women must have a role in politics simply by virtue of being citizens of Kuwait. Unfortunately, a male dominated culture leads to a crisis of confidence about the ability of women to participate in the political process, not only in the minds of men, but in the minds of women as well.

Alawadhi remained optimistic, however, that Kuwaiti women are more than capable of achieving their political goals. "Women's experience in politics is a very recent one, and I consider it extremely successful so far," she said. Alawadhi pointed to the results of the last elections, in which a number of female candidates, Alwadhi among them, put up very competitive numbers as evidence of the great advancements women had made in a short period of political participation.

The segregation of men and women in educational institutions was another issue criticized by both speakers and attendees. Suhaila Al-Najdi, an art professor at Kuwait University, was surprised that an exhibit of student art was subject to segregation, asking why a work of art created by a male student should not be exhibited by a female. The kind of attitude that would lead to such segregations damages the academic environment and ultimately the society as well, Al-Najdi declared.

Iman Al-Kout, Tae Kwon Do champion and instructor, said the path for Kuwaiti women athletes was an arduous one because they are disadvantaged in comparison to their international colleagues. Al-Kout said that women athletes who perform on the international level are supported by societies who respect and encourage sports excellence, something sorely lacking in Kuwait.

After the discussion, Alwadhi and Al-Anjeri spoke in more detail about their involvement in past elections and the challenges that are magnified in the case of women candidates, most notably securing funding for their campaigns and the very nature of campaigning in Kuwait. The social nature of campaigning was established in an exclusively male political environment with 25 constituencies. Now that there are five constituencies, the sheer size and number of voters makes the old model impracticable, especially for professional women who run for office, Al-Anjeri explained.

Despite these difficulties, Alawadhi said she was against changing the number of constituencies from five to ten and against the establishment of a quota system for women in parliament. The establishment of five constituencies is a parliamentary right, Alawadhi stated, passed under tremendous support of Kuwaiti citizens and she was against any unconstitutional change in the law.

Alawadhi also opposed the idea of a quota for women in Parliament, insisting that even if it is a long process, women would gain invaluable experience in the political process. "We cannot just change the Constitution and force the situation when we still have not seen the full results of women's political participation. Women should be given the chance to gain experience and establish themselves as politicians so that when women reach Parliament, they have proven their capabilities and earned people's trust and confidence.