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. According to the Civil Service Commission CSC data in , 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 , the total unemployed Kuwaitis numbered 8,, with women making up approximately 52 percent.
From the 17th century until the discovery of oil in the late s, the economy of Kuwait was largely dependent on maritime trade. While men were seafaring, Kuwait's women managed their homes, and controlled family affairs and finances. For those families that could afford it, houses were built with a courtyard and a harem where women spent most of their time. This structure, along with high windows and doors that faced into the house rather than the street, removed women from public vision.
Upper-class women's participation in the public sphere was very limited. Kuwaiti girls began learning scripture in when the first Quran school was established. After this many women of modest means began working as Islamic instructors.
