Iraqi Women Optimistic of Future

[Gravitymaster 0]

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http://www.womenforwomen.org/priraqpap.html


First Post-War Survey of Iraqi Women Shows Women Want Legal Rights; Dispels Notions That Women Believe Tradition, Culture Should Limit Their Participation in Government


Despite Violence, More than 90% of Iraqi Women Optimistic About The Future, But New Government Could Open or Close Windows of Opportunity, Women for Women International Warns

Washington, DC – The first survey of Iraqi women since the outbreak of the war was released today by Women for Women International, one of the few non-governmental organizations remaining in Baghdad. The groundbreaking survey paints a vivid and even surprising portrait of Iraqi women in transition and dispels the prevailing notion that women believe tradition, customs or religion should limit their participation in the formation of a new Iraqi government.

The results of the survey of 1,000 Iraqi women in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra, major political and commercial centers in Iraq, was unveiled in a report entitled “Windows of Opportunity: The Pursuit of Gender Equality in Post-War Iraq.” Among the key results:

• 94% of women surveyed want to secure legal rights for women.
• 84% of women want the right to vote on the final constitution.
• Nearly 80% of women believe that their participation in local and national councils should not be limited.

“History has shown that when women play a role in the formation of new governments, those nations are more stable and more successful in the long run,” said Women for Women International’s founder and CEO Zainab Salbi. “Many Iraqi leaders have claimed that women do not want to be involved in the reconstruction process. This survey clearly shows that women overwhelmingly believe they should have a seat at the table.”

The most unexpected result of the survey is that despite increasing violence, particularly violence against women, 90.6% of Iraqi women reported that they are hopeful about their future. In recent months, many women who have been involved with the reconstruction efforts or women’s rights work have been kidnapped and murdered. Among those murdered included Zeena Al Qushtaini, an Iraqi businesswoman known for wearing western clothing, who was kidnapped and executed. Her body was found clad in a traditional headscarf, which she refused to wear when she was alive. In December, Wijdan al-Khuzai, a candidate in the Iraqi election, was also murdered near her house in Baghdad.

“Women make up more than half the population of Iraq. This makes them enormously influential, both for the election this month and for Iraq’s future,” said Manal Omar, who has been Women for Women International’s Country Director in Iraq, since the organization established offices there in July 2003. “The new Iraqi government must act quickly to ensure their rights today and secure their hope for the future. If women continue to be excluded from the new government and lose hope for the future, then the window of opportunity for women in Iraq – and hope for the country itself – closes.”

To date, women have not played an active role in the new Iraqi governing bodies. Only three women have been appointed to the 25-member Interim Iraqi Governing Council, and the three women on the Council did not have the right to serve on the Presidential Council. No women were appointed to be governors of 18 provinces in Iraq nor were any women appointed to a committee overseeing the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution.

Women for Women International warned, however, that the survey showed that more than twice as many women believed that religious institutions had done something to improve their lives in the past year (13%) than those who believed the government had done so (6%).

“Women’s voting power but lack of muscle as elected officials in the current governing bodies leave them vulnerable in Iraq today,” said Salbi. “Too often women turn in desperation to extremist religious groups for help despite the long-term sacrifice of personal freedoms. These groups have historically been able to gain support when they can offer basic services normally provided by a government.”

Salbi pointed to The Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt, Hamas in the West Bank and the occupied territories, and the Taliban in Afghanistan as examples of this trend.

The survey, conducted by Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies (CSSR), randomly sampled women in three geographic areas in order to represent the views of Iraqi women across different educational, economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. The sample size was 1,000 women and covered seven cities in three governorates, Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra.

The standardized questionnaire was administered by women researchers in face-to-face interviews with the female heads of household. The survey contained 35 questions that covered the respondents’ demographic information as well as their perceptions on access to medical care, education, and economic and political participation in the past year.

Women for Women International was founded in 1993 to help women overcome the horrors of war and civil strife in ways that can help them rebuild their lives, families, and communities. Its Iraq program has provided services to nearly 800 women from Baghdad, Hillah and Karbala, and works with organizations and Iraqi governing bodies to address the needs of Iraqi women at the leadership and grassroots levels.

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Women for Women International (WWI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty into self-sufficiency and stability. WWI’s tiered program begins with direct financial and emotional support; fosters awareness and understanding of women’s rights; offers vocational skills training; and provides access to income-generation support and microcredit loans that together can help women restart their lives in ways that are independent, productive, and secure.

So, it occurs to me that perhaps one of the reasons the "insurgents" are fighting so hard is because they don't want change in the Muslim world which would include giving women more of a say in govt.

[peregrinerose 0]

I would guess that there are some major flaws with this 'study'. 90% of women want a way of life that is different than the one that has been drilled into their collective heads for generations? I doubt that very seriously.

Look at women who have been abused, they (with very high rates) tend to gravitate to abusive relationships. It is normal to them, what is literally beaten into them as reality, etc.

This isn't to say that women shouldn't want all these things, only that I do not believe that the poll was even remotely accurate. Stats can say whatever you want them to, so I give a poll of a very small number of women in a very small geographical area no credence at all when it comes to overall opinions of women within the entire country.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Gravitymaster 0]

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I would guess that there are some major flaws with this 'study'. 90% of women want a way of life that is different than the one that has been drilled into their collective heads for generations? I doubt that very seriously.

Look at women who have been abused, they (with very high rates) tend to gravitate to abusive relationships. It is normal to them, what is literally beaten into them as reality, etc.

This isn't to say that women shouldn't want all these things, only that I do not believe that the poll was even remotely accurate. Stats can say whatever you want them to, so I give a poll of a very small number of women in a very small geographical area no credence at all when it comes to overall opinions of women within the entire country.

What part of the methodology specifically do you disagree with? It certainly seems at least as good as most polls I've ever read ie. 1000 women spred over a fairly diverse geographic area etc.

I do think you underestimate the strength and will- power of M.E. Women because you are comparing them to women from the West. Centurys of oppression eventually can produce a very different mindset.

[peregrinerose 0]

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What part of the methodology specifically do you disagree with? It certainly seems at least as good as most polls I've ever read ie. 1000 women spred over a fairly diverse geographic area etc.

I do think you underestimate the strength and will- power of M.E. Women because you are comparing them to women from the West. Centurys of oppression eventually can produce a very different mindset.

It is ONLY 1000 women, located ONLY in a city area where there is much business and political awareness. That is an extremely narrow demographic in a small number, not representative of the more general population.

Centuries of anything imposed culturally are actually more difficult to break or to think differently. When something is literally beaten into any persons' head since birth, it is believed, particularly when there is absolutely no exposure to other ways of treatment or thinking. This is human nature and psychology regardless of 'western' or not.

It's not a matter of will power or strength, it is a matter of believing a completely foreign concept. It is not something that happens overnight to 90% of the female population. If 90% of the female population had so much will power and strength and firm belief in the 'western' way of doing things, there would have been a feminine rebellion there, something already changing, even prior to our involvement.

Yes, individual women probably do believe in this, but to use a small scale, small number study of a limited demographic and claim that it is a nationally pervasive belief is extremely misleading and most likely blatantly wrong.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Gravitymaster 0]

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The survey, conducted by Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies (CSSR), randomly sampled women in three geographic areas in order to represent the views of Iraqi women across different educational, economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds. The sample size was 1,000 women and covered seven cities in three governorates, Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra.

Seems pretty diverse to me. Many of the polls taken during the last Presidential election in the US used sampling a few as 750 respondents and very few had more than 1500, yet they were pretty accurate. I will concede they probably didn't go into the poorest rural areas for the poll and my guess is if every single woman in Iraq was polled, the results would probably be lower. On the other hand, my guess is if this poll was conducted 5 years ago, the results would be dramatically lower. My point is that the women who were polled seem to have a far greater hope for the future since SH and the Baathist were driven from power in much the same way the women in Afghanistan have more hope since the Taliban was driven out. It's a good thing.

I believe as more social reform occurs in the M.E. we will see

[peregrinerose 0]

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The results of the survey of 1,000 Iraqi women in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra, major political and commercial centers in Iraq

You have to use the entire quote, not the first 1/2 of it. You are talking about women only in the major political and commercial centers of Iraq. This means they have greater exposure to other ways of thinking, other cultures, other ideas. This is not typical of the entire populus.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Gravitymaster 0]

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The results of the survey of 1,000 Iraqi women in Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra, major political and commercial centers in Iraq

You have to use the entire quote, not the first 1/2 of it. You are talking about women only in the major political and commercial centers of Iraq. This means they have greater exposure to other ways of thinking, other cultures, other ideas. This is not typical of the entire populus.

I acknowledged that.

[peregrinerose 0]

I did a little digging, the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies is funded by the US State Dept, and does only small scale surveys like this one. A lot of them support US policies. They did one asking if Iraqis supported immediate withdrawl of US troops, 100% said no. A gallup poll asking the same question revealed 75% said yes.

I also went to the women etc. web page. They stated that they want 40% of all government positions to be reserved for women. Which isn't a great thing considering that 60% of the women (compared to 30% of men) in Iraq are illiterate (from a website of general world demographic information).

Biased research done small scale is basically meaningless. The concept is nice, and I wish that 90% of the women there felt that way so they could refuse sex to their men and get things straightened out much more quickly. That isn't reality though.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Gravitymaster 0]

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They did one asking if Iraqis supported immediate withdrawl of US troops, 100% said no. A gallup poll asking the same question revealed 75% said yes.

Really? Not what I found:

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In a recent seven-city poll, the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies found that 50 percent of Iraqis oppose the presence of coalition forces, with 33 percent supporting their presence. The numbers also indicate steep declines in support.

"The Iraqi people suffered for a long time under the previous regime, and they have no space left for patience,'' says Sadoun al-Dulame, who coordinated the poll. "The Iraqi people want America's liberal values, not more American soldiers." Mr. Dulame points out that 95 percent of Iraqis identify fair and regular elections as the nation's top political priority.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1027/p01s03-woiq.html

[Jimbo 0]

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That isn't reality though.

You've criticized GM's article, but you've got nothing to back up your position. Simply saying "That isn't reality" doesn't make so.

-
Jim

"Like" - The modern day comma
Good bye, my friends. You are missed.

[crozby 0]

This report makes no sense.

Saddam ran Iraq as a secular state (like Turkey). The mistreatment of women, by people wanting to convert the place to Sharia law, is something that has occured since the invasion.

Rihab Taha al-Azawi al-Tikriti was one of the women in Saddams employ. The press gave her the nickname Dr. Germ. She was one of several women in a senior position in Iraq.

[juanesky 0]

Yes, we are all sure that it was a dream being a woman in SH's regime. Paragon of justice, specially if they dated one of his sons

"According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon

[bodypilot90 0]

They will not accept first hand on the ground reports from our guys. Nor will they accept the fact that women are hopeful. Maybe they are the same clowns that said we never landed a man on the moon? You think?

[Botellines 0]

You guys need to read other news that just those right-wing slanted ones.
Irak was, before the war, one of the few, if not the only islamic country that gave the most rights to the women. Have you ever heard of Dr. Germ? one of the top in SH government.

I would be happy if when all of this ends, women still have as much freedom as they used to have, but chances are that when you guys pull out, some radical islamic group will take charge and women end up having to wear a burka.

[SkyDekker 1,465]

With a country as diverse as Iraq and the turmoil it is in, we really need some more information on how this survey was conducted.

Let's say for instance it was conducted by phone, now do the same survey but do it via intercepts in a rural area. I would be pretty sure the results would be very different.

[crozby 0]

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Maybe they are the same clowns that said we never landed a man on the moon?

There really is no need for that. There seems to be a misconception by some people on this site that women are treated badly in all Muslim societies. I think this has stemmed from the fact that women in Afghanistan were subjected to brutal treatment based on Sharia law.

I was just pointing out that Iraq was/is a secular state where women are able to go out to work pretty much like they are in the USA or other western countries.

I'm genuinely sorry if you find that offensive - it wasn't meant to be.

[skydyvr 0]

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With a country as diverse as Iraq and the turmoil it is in, we really need some more information on how this survey was conducted

In a country as diverse and in such turmoil as the US, why don't you insist on more information about the poll you lefties like to beat into the ground -- the one about how Fox watchers had misconceptions about WMDs in Iraq.

I guess if the data agrees with what you want to hear, the polling methods just aren't as worthy of scrutiny, eh?

I swear, if the Taliban were in here writing up their opinions, there wouldn't be much difference between that and what the usual SC lefties write.

Elections in Afghanistan a good thing? No -- it's "only confined to one city, the outlying areas don't count" -- has been written by several here, and is just what the Taliban would write as well.

Elections in Iraq going to fail? "You bet" -- as expressed by most of the lefties here, and would be expressed by the Taliban as well if any of them knew what a computer is. Blech.

. . =(_8^(1)

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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In a country as diverse and in such turmoil as the US, why don't you insist on more information about the poll you lefties like to beat into the ground -- the one about how Fox watchers had misconceptions about WMDs in Iraq.

I guess if the data agrees with what you want to hear, the polling methods just aren't as worthy of scrutiny, eh?

I swear, if the Taliban were in here writing up their opinions, there wouldn't be much difference between that and what the usual SC lefties write.

Elections in Afghanistan a good thing? No -- it's "only confined to one city, the outlying areas don't count" -- has been written by several here, and is just what the Taliban would write as well.

Elections in Iraq going to fail? "You bet" -- as expressed by most of the lefties here, and would be expressed by the Taliban as well if any of them knew what a computer is. Blech.

Since in your long tirade you didn't address the original point I guess you agree with me.....

[peregrinerose 0]

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You've criticized GM's article, but you've got nothing to back up your position. Simply saying "That isn't reality" doesn't make so.

Anyone reading any statistic has to look at the context. If the context/methodology is invalid or biased, the research/poll is invalidated.

This poll was of a small number of a select group of women living only in cities (areas of commerce and politics). This is a small percentage of women as a whole from a cultural, experiential, and geographic stance, and thus not representative of the whole.

I read research constantly, and it is pretty easy to determine the biased ones from the not, by looking at who sponsored the study and the methodology used. Ever notice that studies sponsored by companies always show their product to be the best, never any other product? This study (the group who does the research) is funded by the US State Dept. So both the funding and methodology are flawed, meaning that this study should not be relied upon as gospel truth.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[juanesky 0]

Perhaps no, but it seems to be pretty much in line with other countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, where women have suffered as second class citizens, and this has been sufficiently studied. Maybe, and just perhaps, by a long shot will they be afraid that Islamic law setting in by radical shiites IE: the aforementioned countries?

"According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon

[peregrinerose 0]

Any result may be true. My only thought was that this study is basically meaningless due to the fact that it was sponsored by an organization that had a vested interest and the methods used were less than appropriate.

If an independent study was done with a cross section of opinions truly randomized, it would be far more valid.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[juanesky 0]

Yes indeed, but if you try to avoid the fact that countries under Islamic law, (at least those mentioned before), do curtail women's rights and make them second class citizens, and the understandable anguish they may feel that this will become part of their life, I believe they just want to make sure it does not happen to them. Just a thought and wild hypothesis....

"According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon

[peregrinerose 0]

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Yes indeed, but if you try to avoid the fact that countries under Islamic law, (at least those mentioned before), do curtail women's rights and make them second class citizens, and the understandable anguish they may feel that this will become part of their life, I believe they just want to make sure it does not happen to them. Just a thought and wild hypothesis....

The alternative wild hypothesis to this is that women in Iraq have been beaten and dominated for centuries. It is there religion and their culture. It has been dictated as truth for their entire lives, and for the most part they have had no exposure to alternatives. This is the only way of life that they know. Now they are faced with this completely different culture and backwards (to their minds) way of thinking. Why would they blindly and overnight accept that which is totally foreign to them? Why would they reject their own cultrual value in exchange for a different one suddenly?

Abused people tend to stay in abusive relationships, it is normal to them, all they know. It takes a great deal of strength to accept an alternative reality, something that can take years or generations to counteract, not something that changes overnight.

I am not saying that this hypothesis is any more or less valid than yours, only that it exists. The only way to get the answers is to have an impartial poll with large numbers and diverse demographic representative of the population being studied.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[SkyDekker 1,465]

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Yes indeed, but if you try to avoid the fact that countries under Islamic law, (at least those mentioned before), do curtail women's rights and make them second class citizens, and the understandable anguish they may feel that this will become part of their life, I believe they just want to make sure it does not happen to them. Just a thought and wild hypothesis....

maybe, than there are quite a few Islamic women who do not see themselves as second rate citizens and are quite happy with their life.

[juanesky 0]

Yes as well as there are maybe people in Ethiopa don't see themselves as suffering hunger.

Pain and terror is just a matter of where you live...that's a novel approach...

"According to some of the conservatives here, it sounds like it's fine to beat your wide - as long as she had it coming." -Billvon