Women and war: the role Kuwaiti women played during the Iraqi occupation

In many societies, women face a gender bias rooted in feudal socio-economic relations and religious institutions that justify female subordination (Youseff, 1972). Yet, aided by the experience of human rights movements, women have made progress in the past few decades in overcoming a cultural tradition of male domination and superiority. Circumstances of war have also empowered women, allowing them to become active agents in their own development and liberation (Cagan and Juliá, 1998). However, movement toward equality or democratization during these conflicts indicate that 'women's success might be ephemeral, a product of crisis mobilization' (Jaquette et. al., 1994. 2). Once the armed conflict is over and peace returns, women's choices, rights, and lives once again tend to become circumscribed by tradition, religion, and male prerogative. There is a vital need for information about what happens to women during and following periods of war-their survival strategies, the metamorphosis of gender relations, the retention of positive changes, the identification of their needs, and the support required to meet those needs (Wallace and March, 1991). Attempting to answer such questions, the purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of Kuwaiti women during and after the Iraqi invasion and occupation of 1990. The authors' contention is that, in terms of gender empowerment, Kuwaiti women's experience during this period was and is no differnt than the experiences of women during and after wartime crises elsewhere. In an attempt to take into account variations of context and historical specificities the impact of Islamic beliefs and practices and their compatibility or incompatibility with women's rights are examined alongside social development|status variables. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.