The Iraq Women’s Development Studies Under The Influence Of The War (1980-2012)

Since1980s, Iraq has experienced the outbreak of the Iran-IraqWar, the Gulf War and the Iraq War, which all are typicalrepresentatives of modern warfare. These three wars not onlydevastated the Iraqi city but also had a profound impact on women.War brings women plenty of physical and mental damage, at the sametime,the collapse of social norms in wartime also makes femalegender undergone tremendous changes; Affected by wartimeexperiences, women began to play an important role in thereconstruction of post-war social. Therefore, take the three modernwar in Iraq as examples to study the Iraq women development underthe influence of the war were not only helps to correct understandingof contemporary women issues in Iraq, but also is an essential partfor a comprehensive understanding of the Middle East womendevelopment. This essay first reviews the development history of Iraqwomen at the late1970s to the early20th Century, then from theeffects of the three modern war on women development; the role ofIraqi women in post-war reconstruction; opportunities and challengesfor women development in the future, describe the profound impact ofwar on Iraq women development. Including introduction andconclusion, the thesis is divided into six parts. The introduction part, mainly introduces the research situationabout the topic the research significance and the domestic andforeign scholars.The text is divided into four parts.The first part mainly discusses the development of Iraq womenbefore the three modern war. Since the beginning of the20th century,along with England, Germany and other western forces in Iraq isbecoming more and more deeply. Modern Western ideologies,including women concept began as an important impact ofmodernization which affected Iraqi society, and becomes the maindriving force behind the women movement. Since then, womenorganizations began to appear, and mobilized a large number ofconservative Islamic women to fight for their rights and theirhomeland. To some extent, the Baath Party improved the lowerwomen’ situation. But Iraq’s social prejudices and social position ofwomen remains entrenched.Women’ self-consciousness is not yetfully awakened, the development process of the women movement isstill low speed.The second part, analyzes the impact of the three modern war onthe Iraqi women development. Pointing out that the three modern warin Iraq objectively creates opportunities for Iraq women to improvesocial status. Labor demand bring by the war, widen the women’career orientation, improves women’ social reputation, and changesthe whole society of female image of traditional positioning.Meanwhile, the women’ self-awareness is also undergoing changes,and as the main form of liberal feminism and Islamic feminismactively fight for reasonable access to their own rights. In particular,the destruction of the basic survival environment making women’ life and health suffered more immediate threat, which prompting womenshout for their own safety. All this will encourage women play a moredirect and key role in the post-war reconstruction in Iraq. The thirdpart, mainly reviews the role and status of women’ groups in thepost-war reconstruction in Iraq. The essay points out that althoughIraqi women’ rights limited according to the constitutional law andlegislative affairs, but the postwar Iraqi women have been awakeningas a social group actively involved in political field. In the process ofeconomic reconstruction, women groups through informal economyto meet their own, or even the whole family needed to survival. Also inthe field of peace building, Iraqi women in preventing, deterringconflict, maintaining social stability has been making unremittingefforts; play an important role on promoting gender equality andbuilding a peaceful gender culture.The fourth part analyzes the prospects for the future developmentof Iraqi women. Thesis argues that modern war as a double-edgedsword brings the opportunities to Iraqi women development, at thesame time makes women’ future full of challenges. On one hand, a lotof postwar aid and foreign investment which aims at women’development will be conducive to promote the future development ofwomen. On the other hand, under the process of democratic reform,the improvement of Iraq gender equality consciousness also willcreate favorable conditions for the future of Women Movement.However, under the current complicated situation at home and abroad,the rise of religious conservatives, the trend of dictatorship, and theviolent escalation will restrict women’ development.The conclusion part points out that the Iraqi women’ awakening and development is under the impact of western civilization and theinternal response to the society. Compared with Egypt, Iran andTurkey which promote women’ development through social reform,modern war plays an important role on the development of the Iraqiwomen.