Women in Kuwait

Women in Kuwait
Kuwaiti women's football team (2012)
General Statistics
Maternal mortality (per 100,000)12 (2020)[1]
Women in parliament4.8% (2020)[1]
Women over 25 with secondary education60,9% (2021)[2]
Women in labour force72,00% (2022)[1]
Gender Inequality Index[3]
Value0.305 (2021)
Rank74th out of 191
Global Gender Gap Index[4] (2022)
Value0.632 (2022)
Rank130th out of 146

The women of Kuwait have experienced many progressive changes since the early 20th century. Since then, women have had increased access to education, gained political and economic rights, and financial power. They can serve in the police, military, and as judges in courts. However, women in Kuwait struggle against a patriarchal culture which discriminates against them in several fields. Kuwait's Bedoon (stateless) women are at risk of significant human rights abuses and persecution.[5] Kuwait has the largest number of Bedoon in the entire region.[6]

According to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) data in 2024, the joblessness trend among Kuwaitis was found to significantly increase year after year. Major contributors to this trend include a rise in graduates from fields not sought by the labor market, poor linkage between skillsets acquired in these specializations and labor market demands, and insufficient attention to the private sector combined with inadequate coordination between concerned authorities. As of November 2023, the total unemployed Kuwaitis numbered 8,727, with women making up approximately 52 percent.[7]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference GGGR2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference GII2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Human Development Report 2021/2022" (PDF). HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORTS. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Global Gender Gap Report 2022" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  5. ^ Ahmad Jaber (February 2021). "Critical sociolinguistic ethnography as a lens to statelessness: a case from the Bidoon community in Kuwait".
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference una was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Joblessness in Kuwaitis keeps rising yearly". arabtimesonline.com. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.