Literacy Rate: 77.50%
Female/Male Ratio: 1.57 males for every Female
Life Expectancy At Birth: 78.2 Years
One of the most pressing issues in Kuwait today is women's suffrage. In May 1999, the Amir issued a decree granting
women the right to vote and hold elected office, but the measure was struck down by the National Assembly in
November 1999. Supporters have vowed to continue to push for full political rights, and the government has indicated it
will again submit a bill to parliament in the next term. Once the Assembly approves it, the bill will allow women to vote
and run for public office beginning in the next scheduled elections.
Although presently women do not have the right to vote, their role has nonetheless been active in the political arena. Not
only did women play a major role in liberating their country during the Gulf War, but they have also proven active in
several social and cultural organizations that routinely call for political rights. Many of these organizations such as the
Women Affairs Committee, Kuwait's Union of Women Societies and other predominantly female organizations, have
organized campaigns and conferences to protest the exclusion of women in the political arena. Kuwaiti women have been
members of international women's rights organizations as well, and participated in the 1995 Women's Conference in
Beijing. Kuwaiti women have on several occasions protested against their political ban; they have routinely marched on the
National Assembly holding signs and banners demanding political rights; on other occasions, they have marched into voter
registration centers in police stations demanding to receive their political rights.
Islam is not against women's political rights; in fact, under Islamic Law all human beings are equal. There is nothing in the
Constitution of Kuwait that limits women's right to vote and run for office; an electoral law passed by the 1963 Assembly
prohibited female participation in politics. Some supporters claim that this provision of the electoral law violates the
Constitution.
On May 16, the Kuwaiti parliament voted to give women the right to vote and run for office. The next election
is 2007.
On May 16,2005 the Kuwaiti National Assembly voted 35-23 to give women the right to vote and run for parliament.
The amendment will increase the number of eligible voters in Kuwait from the current 145,000 males to more than
350,000 people, or 37 percent of Kuwait’s native population of 956,000. On May 3, Kuwait’s all-male Parliament failed
to approve a bill that would have allowed women to vote and stand for election in time for municipal elections due to take
place later this year.
Fashions among the Kuwaiti women reflect their environment, traditions, heritage, religious beliefs and the personality of
their society along with their personal taste and the styles of the day. Some hav chosen to wear Western clothes and
others have maintained the costumes of their ancestors. The choice is the woman's in Kuwait, as long as modesty
prevails. Kuwaiti women have a strong religious and personal belief that discourages women from being exposed
immodestly in public in any way. There are basically three types of dress in Kuwait:Western styles,
traditional dress and Islamic dress. The traditional dress (darrah ) is a simple modestly shaped, loose-fitting
garment that falls gracefully in a straight line from the shoulder to the ankle. The neckline is round, close fitting and
sometimes adorned with a collar while the long sleeves are tapered to the wrist or bell-shaped. A versatile, practical and
attractive dress, the darrah is receptive to bright fabrics of various types and can be decorated with colorful
embroideries, gold threads, beads and sequins, creating a simple house dress or an elegant party gown. Embroidered
decorations are worked around the neck both in the front and back and also as borders along
the cuffs and hems. Often independent motifs will be scattered over the entire garment. Another version of the
traditional dress worn by many women in the work force and university students is a long ankle-length, flared skirt, a
long-sleeved blouse and a tailored blazer or loose coat. The hijab is the modern version of Islamic dress. The name
hijab comes from the distinctive scarf that is tied tightly around the head and tucked in at the back to conceal the hair
while also covering part of the forehead, but leaving the face unveiled. A girl who wears the hijab is known as a
muhajaba and takes certain obligations on herself. She must always wear the hijab in public and only uncover her hair in
the presence of close male family members such as her father, brothers, cousins, uncles, her husband, other women and
children. Outside the home women who choose Islamic dress wear a silky black cloak (abaya) that envelops them from
head to toe over the traditional dress and the hijab. In olden times before the abaya, women wore a
thickly knitted or woven shawl. Originating from the Al-Ihssa, a region in eastern Saudi Arabia, the abaya is still the
symbol of the Gulf women. It is defined as one of the most important costumes without which a woman could not leave
home. This wide, loose garment with large wing-like sleeves is rectangular in shape, opening in the front
without fastenings. Individual tastes can be expressed at the shoulder seams, wrist openings and front borders which
may be left unadorned or embellished with gold threads. Some abayas are made from fabric that has apre-embroidered
scalloped border that forms the front edges. The thob, a light, graceful, sheer transparent black garment worn as an
overdress, is a rectangular length of fabric folded in half at the shoulders with a large opening for the head and two others
for the hands. The formal thob is used for dancing and is heavily embroidered with gold thread or sequins around the
neck and down the front. The veil is an integral part of the older Kuwaiti women's tradition. Again this is a personal
preference. One who wears the face veil is called a munakaba. The burga is a short rectangular black face veil
with long narrow eye slits worn over the hijab. The bushiya is another type of face veil that completely covers the entire
face and is made of a semi-transparent black cotton. .
Currently in Kuwait women wearing Western fashions intermingle with those who still observe the traditional long
dresses, hijabs and black abayas along with some wearing the face veils. Often some of the women choose to wear
Western style clothing to work and then change into the long dress and abaya for informal afternoon visits or shopping.
Kuwaiti women's fashion is dependent on her personal taste.
In the early 1960's Western style of clothing became popular in
Kuwait. Today a wide selection from various designers and importers
are readily available in the modern shopping complexes.
Women in Kuwait have many of the same rights as men. They are free to drive and dress as they please. It is common to
see women dressed in western attire alongside women wearing traditional Islamic dress. Women are active in all aspects of
Kuwaiti society, and are free to go out and travel on their own, as they please.
Education and Employment
Providing equal opportunity in the education of Kuwaiti females has been an important factor in liberalizing women's
traditional roles in Kuwait. Kuwaiti women are guaranteed a free public education through the university level, as well as
free health care. Female education began in 1937; its benefits are clearly evident with the emergence of a variety of
professional women in the work force today. By the early 1980's for example, over 4,000 Kuwaiti women held university
degrees, compared to only 38 in 1965. Over 67% of Kuwait University graduates are women. Presently:
The number of Kuwaiti female students at the Public Education Sector totaled 168,249; as opposed to 90,438 Kuwaiti
males (KUNA Reports 281555, February 1999).
The number of students admitted to Kuwait University for the academic year 19971998 totaled 4,229 students, including
2,723 Kuwaiti females and 1,506 males (KUNA Reports 281555, February 1999). *For more information and statistics
on education please visit our Education section under Statistics.
Women make up about half of the population of 2.274 million and compose a third of its workforce. Kuwaiti women are
guaranteed the right to work for equal pay. An estimated 33.8% of the total labor force are Kuwaiti females, the highest in
the Gulf region. They are not confined to those jobs traditionally reserved for females, such as teaching and nursing, but
hold all types of positions from those in the government sector, to professional positions in the oil industry, to running
independent businesses. They are represented in virtually every professional category. Kuwaiti women hold prominent
positions such as ambassador, President of Kuwait University, and Under-Secretary of Higher Education. There have
been several proposals by the Defense Minister, Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah, to incorporate women into all scientific and
military fields in the Kuwait Army.
*Dr. Rasha Al-Sabah: Under-Secretary of Higher Education and one of the Amir's most trusted advisors. Named
International Woman of the Year for 1996-1997 by the International Biographical Center (IBC) in Cambridge, England.,
Dr. Rasha Al-Sabah has exerted most of her efforts in the fields of education, culture, and women's causes.
*Nabila Al-Mulla: Appointed as Kuwait's first female Ambassador. She was formerly a deputy permanent representative
of Kuwait at the United Nations. Presently serving as Kuwait's Ambassador to Austria.
*Fayza Al-Khorafi: Distinguished scholar and professor and accomplished scientist, she is the first Arab woman to be
appointed Rector of an Arab university (1993).
*Sara Akbar: Petroleum engineer, member of the Kuwait Oil Company since 1981. Played a distinguished role in
extinguishing the oil fires following the Gulf War and cleaning up one of the worst environmental disasters in history.
Received the 'Global 500' award from the United Nations Environmental Program in recognition of her work.
*Badriya Al-Awadi: Considered the top legal expert on human rights and women's rights in Kuwait. She holds a Ph.D. in
international law, has published over ten books, and has taught law at Kuwait University for the past seven years. Ms. Al-
Awadi's concerns include eliminating illiteracy and raising awareness of women's legal and political rights.
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