Iraq Women's Movement

The first Iraqi women's participation in Iraq's modern political history was their participation in the 1920 revolution against British control of Iraq. They assisted in collecting contributions and providing food for the rebels. Women also took part in many peasants' uprisings against feudalism in southern Iraq or in Kurdistan. In 1924 the first women's association, Women al-Nahdha (Renaissance) Association, was established, aiming at women's rights in education and calling for women's liberation. It participated in the establishment of many schools for girls. Previously there were only three schools in all of Iraq, established in 1898.

In the 1930s, colleges were opened for women, creating educated and career women. At that juncture, many philanthropic women's organizations were created. Progressive intellectuals and political groups called for women's liberation and de-veiling, and for participation in the national struggle against the pro-British government. When Rashid Ali's pro-fascist coup occurred in 1936, an anti-fascism women's society was organized. After World War II, the Women's Committee to Fight Fascism was changed to the League of Women of Iraq. In the 1940s, the Iraqi Women's Union, The Social Nation's Homes, and The Muslim Sisters were all recognized.

During the 1940s and 1950s, women were active in their struggle to defend their rights. In 1948, the first woman was killed by police while taking part in an uprising against the Portsmouth Iraqi-British treaty. In 1952, a progressive League for the Defense of Women's Rights was established to realize democracy, world peace, national freedom, and welfare for children and women's rights. The League established branches in the south, center, and in Kurdistan. The League was not recognized by the pro-British government. The Kurdish Women's Union was also established in same year. In 1955, the government recognized only a pro-government Women's Union.

However, after the 1958 Revolution, which overthrew the monarchy, the league was recognized and it supported the revolution and the new Personal Status Law. Until that time, family laws were based on tradition or customary laws. The law, enacted in 1959, set the marriage age at 18 and prohibited arbitrary divorce. It also restricted polygamy, making that practice very difficult. It required that men and women be treated equally for purposes of inheritance. The law played an important role in modernizing women's roles in Iraqi society.

In 1959, Naziha Dulaimi, the head of the League was selected to the Ministry of Municipalities. She was the first woman in the Arab world to gain such a high position. Membership in the League, which changed its name to the Iraqi Women's League, increased to 42,000 women. The League opened a number of schools to fight illiteracy and opened medical centers, training workshops, and career centers. However, in the 1960s, there was a change in the government's policies, and the regime tilted more toward dictatorship. [Page 758]Most branches of the League were closed down. In 1963 a coup led by Arab Nationalists and Baathists took over. The League was outlawed and oppressed, and many progressive policies of the 1958 Revolution were reversed, including the liberal Personal Status Law, under religious pressure.

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