Are Iraqi women better off today?
One of the justifications for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the ‘liberation’ of Iraqi women. No doubt, Iraqi women – just as their male counterparts – were suffering from a repressive dictatorship that did not tolerate political opposition and systematically arrested, tortured and executed those perceived to be a threat. And just like men, Iraqi women never constituted a homogeneous entity. Social class background, political orientation, ethnic and religious background, account for different experiences. It is important to stress that until 2003, social class was a much greater marker of difference than being Sunni, Shi’i, Kurd or Christian. Although it is not in the interest of national reconciliation inside Iraq to start comparing suffering and hardship before and after the fall of Saddam Hussein, looking at the situation of Iraqi women today, prompts many people to wonder whether women are really better off.
