Women in Kuwait: The Struggle for Political Equality
Abstract
After the Gulf War in the 1990s, Kuwait become one of the most advanced democracies in the Middle East. Despite its progressive attitude, women were, until May 2005, unable to vote. Relative equality in other areas of society, such as education and employment, made women highly aware of the disadvantages they faced in not voting. Using the knowledge and resources available to them, they began a grassroots suffrage movement that engaged in tactics such as strikes and demonstrations to gain the vote for women. Before these tactics could be effective however, women had to convince both the government and society that by voting they would not be abandoning their Islamic beliefs. Before gaining the right to vote, women faced the challenge of proving that Islam itself did not discourage women from voting.Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
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