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Arab spring and women in Kuwait
Abstract
The arab spring, a revolutionary wave of protests and rebellions, and a process of regime change and democratization is sweeping the arab world, but marginally touching women's issues in kuwait. while arab women in tunisia, libya, egypt, morocco, yemen, jordan, and syria are active participants and co-beneficiaries of the process of change, kuwaiti women have lost their electoral gains made in 2009 in the latest elections held in february of 2012. the objective of this paper is to examine the impact of arab spring on women in kuwait, and their continued struggle for political participation in the country. it will also highlight the accomplishments of the women's movement and its inability to utilize the general atmosphere supportive of women's rights in kuwait to maintain its parliamentary representation in the kuwaiti national assembly.
... For instance, the Orange Movement and the Alliance managed to make significant gains in the Eleventh Assembly due to their very successful campaigns geared toward eradicating corruption (Wills 2013). Kuwait's Twelfth Assembly (2009)(2010)(2011) was one of the most corrupt in the country's history (Olimat 2012). Fueled by the Arab Spring, Kuwait experienced violent protests, sit-ins, and the storming of the National Assembly's headquarters over corruption allegations involving the prime minister and a number of government officials. ...
... The continuous struggle for power and political polarization over the past century further weakened and fragmented marginalized groups, including women. Moreover, the lack of organized political party systems with clear agendas, coupled with the dominant tribal structure of the Kuwaiti electoral landscape, has complicated women's ascendency to leadership positions (Olimat 2009(Olimat , 2011(Olimat , 2012. This is clearly manifested in female candidates' inability to win a single seat in the fourth and the fifth districts over the past decade despite the myriad of electoral laws introduced. ...
May 16, 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the enactment of women’s political rights in Kuwait. The amendment of Election Law No. 35/1962 in 2005, which granted women the right to vote and run for office, opened the door for female candidates to participate in parliamentary and local elections for the first time. It was not until 2009 when women managed to make a historic victory in the electoral arena by winning 8 percent of the seats in a highly-contested election. However, women’s presence in parliament continued to plunge as they secured only 6 percent of the seats in December 2012, and female candidates struggled to maintain this slim presence in the legislative arena. The current Kuwaiti Parliament—elected in July 2013—does not have a single female candidate; the sole elected female MP, Safa al-Hashem,2 resigned in May 2014.
... This process started with Saudi Arabia and was followed by the rest of the GCC countries. 8 Al-Rasheed, 20139 Olimat, 2011Olimat, 201210 Seikaly, 2013. Both Kuwait and Bahrain have had a noticeable number of prominent women holding official posts as well as many rank and file women in government and private employment. ...
Upon request by the FEMM Committee, this study examines the economic, political and socio-cultural changes which have affected the situation of women in the Gulf region over the last decades. Through an overall analysis and individual country reports, it notably sheds light on similarities and differences concerning women's emancipation in Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Gender discrimination is discussed both in law and in practice, focusing on women's political and economic empowerment, education, migration, family and health. PE 509.985 EN DOCUMENT REQUESTED BY THE COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. 2 ________________________________________________________________________ The situation of women in the Gulf States CONTENTS
Did the Arab Spring effect democratic transition in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries? What are the implications for institutional transformation? This article focuses on legislative autonomy vis-à-vis the executive branch. The authoritarian regimes have continued their strategy of resistance amidst a modicum of reform, within the twin policies of institutional restructuring and security control, which reveals four trends: institutional preservation, status quo concessions, stalled power-sharing, and repressive countermeasures. There has been a growing sectarian dimension to the opposition. Frustrated and disillusioned, the younger generation has infused energy into the protest movement both in the streets and in cyberspace. With a firm hold on the security services by rulers, incremental policy shifts in the social realm will outpace institutional transformation in the political arena.
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