A brief note, since this was not well-covered in mainstream media: Today, Kuwaiti women made history when they voted for the first time in municipal elections, where two women also were running for office. This paves the way for them to vote in the 2007 parliamentary elections, the only elected parliament in the Gulf States.
Women were given the right to vote in May 2005, but opposition by Islamicists and tribal leaders delayed the vote until this round of elections.
The vote precedes a long history of women in leadership roles in Kuwaiti society, though never in a political capacity. Women are especially active in the finanical sector. According to Ms. Wafa Mohamed Al-Rasheed, Manager of the Technical Bureau Department of the Kuwait Stock Exchange, there is a historical reason behind this:
“Before the oil era, the men were absent for eight months of the year during the summer to dive for pearls. They then traveled to India and Africa to sell them and to buy goods such as wood and spices. While their husbands, brothers, and fathers were away, women had to manage their households financially and to provide for their families. This is how the role of women in finance started.”
Public participation in policymaking is one of the fundamental tenets to a healthy democracy and necessary in reform, for a government that allows only half of its population to vote is not an accountable government. Kuwait’s elections are a positive and welcome step towards full democratic development.
Published Date: April 04, 2006