KUWAIT

Kuwait

Kuwait

Introduction

The topic under study is based on an ongoing issue. The country which I have selected is Kuwait and the issue addressed is “Political rights of women and the rights to vote”. For much of history, the exclusion of women in Kuwait from the world of politics was based on legal, moral, and social beliefs about women's reproductive role—that is, on their motherhood or their potential motherhood. Although today, women may vote and run for political office in most countries in the world, they continue to be underrepresented in politics in Kuwait—a fact that may be traced to definitions of citizenship that focus on soldiers and workers. These definitions make it difficult or impossible for women, especially mothers, to enjoy full citizenship rights because these roles conflict with their caretaking responsibilities.

When women have become involved politically as voters, activists, or candidates for public office, they often have succeeded by calling attention to their connection to children and claiming this as a basis for get votes, claim rights and benefits of citizenship, and gain support for their policy preferences. These efforts have yielded results that are fragile and incomplete, centering as they do on efforts to improve the lives of children rather than the lives of mothers. Until very recently, most women who have succeeded in politics have not been mothering, or their children were grown before they entered the political fray. Because equality has been one of the main goals of politics, and motherhood has often been a cause or reason for inequality, mothers have had an often-contentious relationship with politics (CNN, 2008).

Background Information

At the end of 2008 there were eight women presidents (Argentina, Chile, Finland, India, Ireland, Liberia, the Philippines, and San Marino); eight women prime ministers (Bangladesh, Germany, Haiti, Moldova, Mozambique, the Netherlands Antilles, Ukraine, and the Aland Islands); ...