KHALEEJ TIMES, Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021 | Rabi Al-Awwal 7, 1443
Kuwait allows women to join military in combat roles
Kuwait:
Kuwaiti women will be allowed to enlist in the military in combat roles
for the first time after years of having been restricted to civilian roles, the
army said Tuesday.
Defence Minister Hamad Jaber al-Ali al-Sabah said the door had been opened for
women to join various combat ranks, including as officers, the Kuwait Armed
Forces tweeted.
“The time has come for Kuwaiti women to be given the opportunity to enter the
Kuwaiti military side by side with their brothers,” the minister said in remarks
carried by state news agency KUNA.
He expressed confidence in women’s “capabilities... and their ability to endure
hardship”.
Kuwaiti women earned the right to vote in 2005 and have been active both in
cabinet and parliament — though they did not gain any seats in the current
parliament.
Unlike other Gulf countries, Kuwait’s parliament enjoys legislative power and
lawmakers have been known to challenge the government and royals.