Mistreated Iraqi Women

All around the world women are mistreated one way or another. One of the most common places is Iraq. Everyday women in Iraq are disenfranchised in employment, household and marriage, education, and politics.

One well known category women are mistreated in is employment. Today 73% of men are currently working or actively seeking for work, compared to only 14% of women. These statistics show just how big the gap is between the genders in work conditions. Only 2% of all employees in the private sector are women. Almost all of the self owned businesses are run by men. Therefore, many women have a hard time finding a job. Those who do successfully find a job, work in the agricultural division. Most of the women with a diploma have an even harder time finding jobs. They go through years of schooling and some never get employed. In Iraq 68% of women with a bachelor's degree are unemployed compared to the 11% in the United States. Some laws limit women from taking certain jobs. For instance women in Iraq are not allowed to have a job that requires hard labor, night-time work, or dangerous tasks. As Ithar Isaam said, "...Women cannot cross long distances and deal with workers and contractors. Security, maintenance and transport jobs that require effort or nightly shifts are still strictly reserved for men" (Ali). The majority of Iraqi society still supports the fact that women should be housekeepers not work in a business. With many people going along with this idea, nobody wants to hire women to do the jobs that are out there.

Not only are women treated poorly in employment but in their household and marriage as well. Girls in Iraq get married at a very young age, some as young as 9 years old. In Iraq girls are generally considered ad...

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... to men they are going to lose a lot. Up to now I am with the power of the man in society" (Zangana). Even though many people say they believe in equality that is not the case. About 38% of women in Iraq do not think men and women should be equal. While 31% think they should be at least partially equal. Only 67.7% of women believe they should participate in political elections 84.4% believe that they should vote. Many of them think politics is a "man's business". Although the constitution states those rights, Iraq does not necessarily follow how many women are representatives.

Iraq is a very well known country for the mistreatment of its women. They are not only emotionally abused but physically as well. Iraqi women are disenfranchised in many categories.

The majority of the divisions including employment, household and marriage, education, and politics.