Iraq’s War Widows
February 25, 2009 12:08 AM Subscribe
Just how much gender equality has gone backwards in Iraq during last 6 years? This whole adventure seems like a social experiment for creating conditions where women are perceived as less valuable people. Remove the existing safety structures, so that threat of violence can keep women in place. Allow people to restructure themselves on religious/patriarchal groups for protection. Kill enough husbands so that there is oversupply of desperate widows w. children to make female poverty and lack of options a mundane fact. Direct reconstruction efforts to security, construction and industrial infrastructure, which creates jobs for men, but not much for women.
Now part 2 of the experiment, how to restore the value of human life. Any ideas?
posted by Free word order! at 1:56 AM on February 25, 2009
Now part 2 of the experiment, how to restore the value of human life. Any ideas?
posted by Free word order! at 1:56 AM on February 25, 2009
Just how much gender equality has gone backwards in Iraq during last 6 years?
Six years? You do realize that the last six years were preceded by a ruthless authoritarian government, at least three sectarian uprisings, a decade of economic sanctions, war with the United States, and a decade of war with Iran, right? Are those the "existing safety structures" you reference?
posted by Slap Factory at 3:19 AM on February 25, 2009
Six years? You do realize that the last six years were preceded by a ruthless authoritarian government, at least three sectarian uprisings, a decade of economic sanctions, war with the United States, and a decade of war with Iran, right? Are those the "existing safety structures" you reference?
posted by Slap Factory at 3:19 AM on February 25, 2009
Are those the "existing safety structures" you reference?
Yes, and they were bad structures, but they were bad in other dimensions than gender equality. Totalitarian structures in general do not like to compete with existing old power structures like patriarchal clans and religious sects and do what they can to suppress them, often by driving forward opposing ideologies like gender equality and that can have good results.
posted by Free word order! at 3:49 AM on February 25, 2009
Yes, and they were bad structures, but they were bad in other dimensions than gender equality. Totalitarian structures in general do not like to compete with existing old power structures like patriarchal clans and religious sects and do what they can to suppress them, often by driving forward opposing ideologies like gender equality and that can have good results.
posted by Free word order! at 3:49 AM on February 25, 2009
Slap Factory, Other than the Kurds, are their Iraqis who would say their quality of life has improved since the American take over of the country? I have my doubts. And really, that's pretty sad, considering what the country has been through since the 80s.
posted by chunking express at 6:52 AM on February 25, 2009
posted by chunking express at 6:52 AM on February 25, 2009
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posted by homunculus at 12:10 AM on February 25, 2009