Years of long wait have come to end. Kuwaiti women can now serve in the military in combat roles. Women will be able to join the military’s combat positions for the first time. After years of being restricted to just civilian roles they can serve their country, the Kuwaiti army announced on Tuesday.
Defense Minister Hamad Jaber al-Ali al-Sabah says the doors are open for women to join various combat ranks, including as officers. He expressed confidence in women’s “capabilities… and their ability to endure hardship”. “The time has come for Kuwaiti women to grab the opportunity. Opportunity to enter the Kuwaiti military side by side with their brothers,” he informed the state news agency Kuna.
During the first phase, the applicants will provide medical and military support. For the past two decades, Kuwaiti women have served as police officers, paving the path for women to join the army. Kuwaiti women gained the right to vote in 2005 and have served in both the government and parliament, albeit they did not gain any seats in the current legislature.
Four female candidates gained parliamentary seats in a national election four years later, out of fifty available seats. The Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences voted to enable registration for women to join the Kuwaiti police force in 2008. Furthermore, the number of female judges in Kuwait is 15 following the acceptance of 7 new female judges in May. Unlike in other Gulf countries, Kuwait’s parliament has legislative authority. Parliamentarians express their opinions by opposing the government and royals.
