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The Impact of Economic Sanctions on Women in Iraq

Nadje Al-Ali
The Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies
University of Exeter, UK

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Women, Gender Relations and Sanctions in Iraq

Between Dreams and Sanctions: Teenage Lives in Iraq

Although there is no doubt that the most immediate and gruesome effects of economic sanctions are the sheer need to struggle for survival, to fight a daily battle against poverty, to obtain food and medicines, the wider implications and more subtle changes that Iraqi society has experienced over the past decade are equally disturbing. Especially the situation of women has undergone a drastic transformation with long lasting implications for gender relations as well as the social and cultural make-up of Iraqi society.

Without doubt, Iraqi women lost some of the achievements gained in the previous decades. The 70s and early 80s were the years of general economic boom and the emergence and expansion of a broad middle-class. State-induced policies worked to eradicate illiteracy, educate women and incorporate them into the labour force. In the context of a rapid economic expansion after the so-called oil-crisis in 1973, the Iraqi government actively sought out women to incorporate them into the labour force. In 1974, a government decree stipulated that all university graduates - whether men or women – would be employed automatically. In certain professions, such as those related to health-care and teaching, education itself entailed a contract with the government, which obliged the students to take up a job in the respective profession. Subsequently, working outside the home did not only become acceptable for women but prestigious and the norm. Whatever the government’s motivations (it was obviously not acting on egalitarian principles), Iraqi women became among the most educated and professional in the whole region. The question in how far access to education and the labour market had resulted in an improved status for women is more complex. As in many other places, conservative and patriarchal values did not automatically change because women started working. And here there existed great differences between rural and urban women as well as women from different social class backgrounds.

Compared to earlier decades and to neighbouring countries, Iraqi women were amongst the most emancipated and educated on the one side, but at the same time amongst the most oppressed. No independent political activism has been tolerated under the regime of President Saddam Hussein, which has prevented any form of women’s movement or feminist organisations to emerge. The General Federation of Iraqi Women is part of the Baath regime and strictly follows its rulings and prescriptions. And these have changed drastically ever since the imposition of economic sanctions. In response to the ongoing economic crisis, widespread unemployment, lack of previously available public services (such as free transportation to work, school, childcare facilities etc.), the Iraqi regime has been actively promoting women’s return to the house. Many women simply can’t afford going to work anymore as the cost of transportation would exceed their monthly salaries. But others feel pushed back in the realm of domesticity by government rhetoric as well as a general turn towards greater conservatism what women and gender relations are concerned.

The most obvious signs are revealed in women’s dress codes: the hijab – until several years ago rarely seen on the streets of Iraq – is now widespread even amongst young schoolgirls. The wearing of the hijab is not merely an expression of increased religiosity, but also a sign of shifting moral values and cultural codes. Increased restrictions on women’s movements and behaviour linked with a constant concern with women’s honour is maybe more significant than the widespread veiling. The most horrendous aspect of this mounting pressures is the rise in so-called honour killings. Women who are suspected of sexual misconduct are killed by their husbands, brothers or fathers to save the ‘honour’ of the family. The backlash against women’s active roles within the public field of work and education has deteriorated further due to the increasing presence of Iraqi prostitutes. Prostitution itself is one of the sad side effects of the ongoing sanctions regime as a growing number of women is forced to sell their bodies in order to live and feed their children.

A general sense of frustration and desperation amongst both men and women has led to more frequent incidents of domestic violence with women frequently being at the receiving end. Divorce rates have increased, but probably more noteworthy in a society which used to value marriage and family life greatly, is the decrease in marriages. The demographic cost of two wars and the forced economic migration of men, have resulted in an acute demographic imbalance. This accounts for the high number of female-headed households. But it also explains why polygamy, which had become largely restricted to rural areas or uneducated people, has been on the increase in recent years.

Yet, it is important to mention that Iraqi women are not a homogeneous group. Aside from differences related to place of residence (rural-urban), religious affiliation (Sunni, Shi’a or Christian) or ethnic group (Arab or Kurd), there exist huge differences related to social classes. The impoverishment of the previously well-off middle classes goes side by side with an emergence of a nouveau riche class of war and sanctions profiteers. As in any tragedy, certain people make money out of sanctions, especially those related to black market trading. Furthermore, it is essential to emphasise that women are not sheer victims between sanctions policies, the regime and patriarchal values. Many Iraqi women have proved to be much more resourceful and adaptable than their male counterparts and manage to assure the survival of their families and themselves. There might not be independent women’s organizations fighting for equality and social justice, but there are certainly women who refuse to give up their humanity and dignity and are determined to survive.