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New Technologies, Old Culture 193

dents in the Colleges of Medicine and Science, as well as the major-
ity in the College of Education at Kuwait University. Thirty percent
of the Kuwaiti work force is female, and of this female work force,
two-thirds are married. In the government sector, which employs
92% of the Kuwaiti work force, half of the employees are women. The
government guarantees employment to all citizens, both male and
female, if they want to work. Marriage and/or gender does not nec-
essarily preclude women from working, although there is an active
public discourse trying to drive women into marriage, stating that
“marriage is one of the signs and proofs of Allah in the universe” (al-
Qaradawi 1997, 67). This same Islamic discourse encourages mar-
ried women into the home stating that “the real place of the woman
is in her home . . . raising children.” 15
Despite conservative public discourse, women in Kuwait (in-
cluding married ones) are represented in all the professions, includ-
ing medicine, law, academia, and business. Women are well
represented in print and electronic journalism. The Journalists’ As-
sociation recently elected a woman, Fatima Hussain, to its board of
directors. She is also editor-in-chief of a prominent woman’s maga-
zine, al-Samra. Women are also a major part of the support staff
that keeps complex government bureaucracies in Kuwait running,
and the sense is that the society could not function without 50% of
the small Kuwaiti society working (e.g., if all or most women stayed
home). In 1996, Kuwait modified its labor laws to be more sensitive
to women’s needs and to meet international standards. This govern-
mental action can be interpreted as a further entrenchment of
women’s presence in Kuwaiti public life. But while women are em-
ployed throughout Kuwaiti society, most of the leadership and
upper-level management roles are reserved for men in both the pri-
vate and public sector. In the words of one observer, “Whereas the
West has a glass ceiling, in Kuwait it’s concrete.” 16
While Islamics try to drive women back into the home, (or into
fields “compatible with their nature” like education and nursing),
liberal women propose counter arguments which stress that men
need to share responsibilities at home because women are sharing
responsibilities to provide. 17 At present, it is quite common in
Kuwait to see fathers with their children at the store, at the movie
theater, and having lunch out, although it is unusual to hear of men
cooking or cleaning at home. In an interview with a middle-aged
Kuwaiti woman it was noted that “younger generations of Kuwaiti
men were more open to sharing responsibilities at home with their
sisters, mothers and wives. Men forty and older would never be