Women in Kuwaiti Media A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements Monitoring report

Women in Kuwaiti Media
A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements
Monitoring report
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Takamul
Promoting gender Equality in Kuwaiti
تكامـــــل
لتعزيز المساواة بين الجنسين في المجتمع الكويتي
تكامـــــل
لتعزيز المساواة بين الجنسين في المجتمع الكويتي
Takamul
Promoting gender Equality
This Report
Addresses the reality of women in Kuwait. It is specialized in monitoring and following up the image of Kuwaiti women in various local media outlets, following up on the latest developments in the file of women›s rights in Kuwait, and reading the dimensions of these variables on the reality of women and the impact of this on the country›s obligations in international forums.
The release of the report is a translation of what is happening inside Kuwait, in accordance with the following criteria:
• What has been published in the media and social media sites
• Laws and decisions issued for women during the reporting period
• Communication and coordination with the competent government authorities to find out the latest statistics and indicators related to women
The reporting period is the last quarter of the current year 2019: «October, November and December»
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements
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Introduction
The Kuwait Society for Human Rights is working to spread a culture of respect for human rights, promote awareness of international human rights conventions and defend all individuals whose rights are violated. As part of its efforts to protect and promote these rights, it established a media observatory in December 2019 to advocate for gender issues under the name «Sisters». It aims to advocate for gender issues by following the image of Kuwaiti women in various local media outlets and following the latest developments in the file of women›s rights in Kuwait.
The Society has considered the reflection of the various media on women. It found that most of the media pass speeches that do not take into account the status that women have begun to occupy as a key actor in Kuwaiti society, as they continue to
present women in a traditional stereotype. Many of the programs presented have reduced the status of women and overlooked the fact that women have significant and recognized political, economic, cultural, scientific and enlightening roles and that they are essential and active partners in public policy making.
The Society believes that the local media is a reflection of the reality that we live in. Perhaps the presence or absence of women in media is also a reflection of the culture of society. This prompted the Society to establish the Observatory to monitor all dimensions and aspects of media coverage of women›s issues in order to prepare periodic reports containing multiple recommendations for all actors in the media field.
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

Executive Summary
The period of the report witnessed the formation
of the Kuwaiti government. On December 17, 2019, the names of the Cabinet were announced and women received, for the first time in the history
of Kuwait, three ministerial portfolios out of 15 ministerial seats, which represents 20 percent. It is noteworthy that the official ministerial portfolios are 22 in addition to the Prime Minister. However, the Kuwaiti government sometimes appoints
a minister to carry out the functions of two ministries. Her Excellency Mrs. Maryam Aqeel Hashim Al Aqeel was appointed as Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of State for Economic Affairs. Moreover, her Excellency Dr. Rana Abdullah Abdulrahman Al-Fares was appointed as Minister
of Public Works and Minister of State for Housing Affairs. Furthermore, her Excellency Dr. Ghadeer Mohammed Mahmoud Asiri was appointed as Minister of Social Affairs.
The period also witnessed the holding of events and symposiums related to women that coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25th of November, as well as the 16-Day Campaign for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in addition to the International Day of Women Human Rights Defenders. The period also witnessed multiple achievements for a number of Kuwaiti women
in various fields, including sports, science and community.
The period witnessed the launch of the activities of the ninth and regional annual Conference for
Women in the State of Kuwait, organized by the Center for Women Studies and Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Kuwait University under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Planning and in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program and the UN Women. It also witnessed the hosting of the sixth Gulf Women’s Sports Championship, in which six Gulf teams participated, competing in 11 unique and collective games, where Kuwait ranked third with 50 colored medals for women.
One of the outstanding milestones during the reporting period is the return of the media figure Fajr Al-Saeed from a treatment trip abroad that lasted about 5 months, which was successful. That was an occasion to celebrate, especially since the media had taken an interest in her treatment journey remarkably, given Al-Saeed›s position in the media, in which she was famous for her writings dealing with social issues that cause controversy.
During the reporting period, a young Kuwaiti woman born in 1991 was killed. Her murder turned into a public opinion issue. Many young people around the world tweeted about her murder and recalled incidents of violence against women in Kuwait and the related and controversial laws, particularly Article (153) of the Kuwaiti Penal Code, which many people demanded to abolish it. The media reported the news of her murder, noting that her brother turned himself in. A hashtag on her behalf continued to circulate until the end of the reporting period.
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Report Introduction
Women in Kuwait need a supportive public opinion, motivated by a national motivation and calling
for their potential to build a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous future, both within the framework of Kuwait›s commitment to achieving the global goals or the so-called: “17th Sustainable Development Goals”, or within the framework of its National Vision 2035. «New Kuwait», where women can be an important figure in contributing effectively to the implementation of Kuwait›s
vision or in achieving the global goals that Kuwait committed to achieving like all other countries of the world during the United Nations Development Summit .
Although the objectives of sustainable development are not legally or humanly binding, Kuwait was the first GCC country to support the fifth goal of the global goals related to: «Empowering All Women
And Girls». This was evident when it announced the launch of the Kuwait international Award for Outstanding Women on May 15, 2018. The former Minister of Social Affairs, her Excellency Hind Al-Sabeeh said at the launch of the Award that it was in line with the fifth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals .
Kuwait is keen to care for, empower and develop Kuwaiti women by supporting programs to develop their social, economic and craft capacities and ensure their family and psychological stability through qualification programs to raise women›s competence, enhance their role in public life, provide services to working women and encourage support for their role in small enterprises. Therefore, it promotes open dialogue on gender equality and women›s empowerment as an essential element of inclusive and sustainable development(4).
(1) Un website, Sustainable Development Goals, Link: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ar/wp-content/uploads/sites/212/2015//SDG.Overview.pdf
(2) Center for Women’s Studies and Research in Kuwait, A Tweet at the Center’s account, link: https://twitter.com/wrsc_kw/status/1129021640753451009
(3) Al-Qabas newspaper, news published on May 16, 2018, short link « https://cutt.us/fBvn9
(4) Center for Women’s Studies and Research
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

Women›s Statistics in Kuwait
Kuwaiti women constitute 51.06 percent of Kuwait’s total population . The number of women is about 723,263 people . This is a very important indicator of the significant role women are supposed to play in shaping the country›s future.
With regard to the Kuwaiti youth population, they represent a broad base in the demographic pyramid, numbering 787,129 people , accounting for 55.5 percent of the country›s total population of 1,416,495 people , with women accounting for 408,975 people , by 52 percent of the total young population, 29 percent of the total population and 56.5 percent of the total number of females in Kuwait, reflecting an increase in the number of
women, especially female young women aged 1865-.
As for women working in the Ministry of Information, statistics of employees in the government sector as of 302018/06/ show that
2,386 Kuwaiti women out of a total of 7,055
Kuwaiti employees accounted for 33.8 percent
of the total number of Kuwaiti employees, while
160 non-Kuwaiti women work in the Ministry of Information out of a total of 1,121 non-Kuwaiti employees , by 14.2 percent of the total number of non-Kuwaiti employees in the Ministry, i.e. there are 2,546 women working in the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information out of 8,176 employees , accounting for 31.1 percent of the staff.
(5)
(6) (7) (8) (9) (10)
(11) (12)
Data according to statistics of the Statistical Services System of the General Authority for Civil Information until the end of June 2019, source link: https://www.paci. gov.kw/stat/
Previous source: https://www.paci.gov.kw/stat/Demog.aspx Previous source
Previous source
Previous source
Central Statistical Administration, Statistics of Employees in the Governmental Sector (Kuwaiti / Non-Kuwaiti) 062018/30/, Table No. 3 Numerical Distribution of Employment in the Governmental Sector by work entity nationality (Kuwaiti, Non-Kuwaiti) and gender according to the status on 062018/30/, Link:https://www.csb.gov. kw/Pages/Statistics?ID=13&ParentCatID=1
Previous source Previous source
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Women in the Kuwaiti Media
Despite the number of women in Kuwait, their media appearances are not at the required level. We have noted through the follow-up process to the media that the mention of women coincides with any existing event, in the sense that there is seasonality in highlighting women in society or their issues. We have also noted that the greatest share of mentioning women in media goes towards statements or news related to their participation. There is no trend to single out or allocate accounts or media materials on women›s issues or aspirations.
This does not mean that the media ignore women›s issues. Rather, it means that their media materials are limited to statements or the transitory and temporary presentation of community activities carried out by women either in partnership with their male partner or separately. We may address this because we are aware that the mentioning of women›s efforts and highlighting the roles that
they are capable of implementing, not only what they have implemented, will facilitate women›s participation and invest their abilities towards achieving the new Vision of Kuwait by 2035 through their participation in the seven pillars of the national development plan.
Perhaps the former Kuwaiti Minister of Information, Dr. Saad bin Teflah Al Ajmi, touched on the importance of this matter by linking it with the stereotype of the Gulf region in the world. He said that it revolves around three issues: «women, terrorism and oil», indicating that it is possible to create the mindset to convey a positive image and flip the stereotype about us and about our region(13). He pointed out the importance of the media›s role in conveying positive images and building a positive relationship(14). What it means here is not related
to gender, but rather with regard to the diplomatic field. However, guidance by his words applies necessarily to the media›s dealing with the roles that women play and which do not take their right in shining a media spotlight on them.
For example, on October 24, 2019, the BBC chose Dr. Alanoud Alsharekh as one of 100 inspiring and influential women in the world during 2019, as one of 17 Arab women who were chosen in appreciation of their role and contributions in various fields(15). However, many local media outlets only published the news as a quote from the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), except for a brief statement published
in Al-Qabas newspaper (16) and a telephone intervention in the Kuwait Nights program on Channel One(17). Otherwise, it was not celebrated as
(13)
(14) (15) (16) (17)
He said this during a session titled: «Soft Power … A Reading in the Arab Communication Landscape» at a symposium organized by the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh, « Ajel Newspaper,» link: https://ajel.sa/4DWSzG/
Alain News Portal, link: https://al-ain.com/article/saudi-media-forum-impact-images-narration-vents
KUNA news agency, link: https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2828884
October 24, 2019 under the title: «Alanoud Alsharekh for» Al-Qabas «: I am working to promote and empower Kuwaiti women» https://alqabas.com/article/5719846 YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq__SIxc5jk&feature=emb_title
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

a Kuwaiti achievement made by a woman, despite the interest of the political leadership in the event and the sending of congratulatory telegrams to
Dr. Alsharekh from His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah- may God protect him(18), and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad and His Highness the former Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, in addition to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Marzouq Al-Ghanim (19).
On December 10, 2019, Dr. Ghadeer Al-Fandi won the International Project Management Award for her academic research carried out in the United Kingdom for a research entitled «Investigating
the risk management capabilities of construction companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries». Her research contributed to the study and analysis of construction institutions and projects in the GCC region through surveys and case studies(20). Her winning came out of 202 participant researches worldwide(21), and despite that, the media only reported the news of the winning, with the exception of a single newspaper interview on 30th of December (22).
On the other hand, the local media highlighted the achievements of Kuwaiti women. On November 13, 2019, Kuwaiti inventor Sarah Borji managed
to qualify for the Seoul International Exhibition
of Inventions in South Korea with a nomination from the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council, for the creation of a device that reveals fractures in children without the need for radiation(23) . On the 29th of the same month, she won a gold medal for her invention for the first time in Kuwait and the Gulf countries (24) . The media has paid attention to this achievement,
as it was highlighted from the moment of the announcement of its qualification to the exhibition events. She was hosted by Al-Qabas on the 13th of November(25), Kuwait TV on 19th of November(26) and in a number of media outlets, and even after the announcement of its winning, the media continued to talk about her achievement(27).
It is worth noting that the project was worked on by Shumukh Al Failakawi, Sarah Borji, Kawthar Al-Majadi and Sarah Al-Omran (28).
(18) Network Plus, YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=eZbLAwNsIC4&feature=emb_title
(19) Al-Anba Newspaper October 25, short link: https://cutt.us/uX4aF
(20) Al Bayan Newspaper, December 10, link: https://www.albayan.ae/across-the-uae/news-and-reports/20191.3723220-10-12-
(21) Al-Watan newspaper, link: http://alwatan.kuwait.tt/articledetails.aspx?id=605799&yearquarter=20194
(22) Al-Anba Newspaper, short https://cutt.us/OJFMl
(23) Al-Qabas newspaper / link: https://alqabas.com/watch/5725216
(24) Two Kuwaiti inventors receive the gold prize from the Seoul International Exhibition of Inventions, Rasad News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an08QyIK_Ow
(25) Al-Qabas newspaper, video and text, short link: https://cutt.us/Tgjum
(26) YouTube link on Al-Zaidi channel, link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbYowaulkxY
(27) Mawtani YouTube channel, reportage on the character, link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzDTcOUySHE
(28) Al-Qais newspaper, short link: https://cutt.us/F0ygf
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Media Coverage of Women›s Achievements
• The media does not rely on (articles, cartoons, investigations, and surveys) on its media coverage of achievements
• There is a dearth of press interviews with personalities, where 3 interviews were conducted with only two women, although
it is assumed that the interviews are the
most prominent coverage to highlight the achievements, some of which have achieved an important international position for Kuwait
• The media mostly rely on news coverage and sometimes on expanded news that includes statements for a number of interested parties, which we have called a report, which is in fact not an integrated report, but it is closer to the expanded news coverage.
“Al-Qabas” was the most popular media outlet for women›s issues
1 Here we list the achievements and interaction with them in the media:
During the reporting period from October 1 to December 31, 2019, Kuwaiti women have achieved
a number of outstanding achievements both domestically and internationally, and we have monitored their achievements based on what has been published in both official and unofficial media.
• Through a process of monitoring this coverage, we noted the following:
• A lot of news is the process of transferring material from other media without making special coverage of what has been achieved
• The technical form of coverage depends mainly on the first source of the information carrier, which is usually quoted by the Kuwaiti News Agency (KUNA) or other media outlets that deal with an issue, including the material
being transmitted as it was conducted, and sometimes it is converted into a short text news
Lulua Rashid Al-Khattaf, a graduate student at the Department of Political Science at the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University gets the best research paper in English for graduate students at Sciences Po University of France in 2019 out of more than 300 research papers
Number 15 The used
of articles published
technical template
Text news 11
Design 2
Television interview 2
2 Eng. Dalal Al-Asousi wons the 2019 Prize for Maintenance and Global Reliability for the category
of “Rising Leader” after being selected among the 3 best professionals in the field from among 6000 participants around the world. The award was presented by the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) on the sidelines of a conference organized by the Society in Kentucky – USA
Number 20 of articles published
The used Text news Press interview technical 19 1 template
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

3 In the Arab Championship for Artistic and Rhythmic Gymnastics, and in the first participation of young women in Kuwait, they achieved a remarkable historical achievement by winning 10 medals, with 3 golds, 4 silver and 3 bronzes
Number 31 of articles published
The used technical template
Text news Visual news Report Declaration 26 1 1 3
4 The sixth Gulf Women’s Sports Championship hosted by Kuwait and witnessed the participation of six teams competing for 11 unique and group games, and Kuwait ranked third with 50 colored medals
The event was official, and therefore it had a wide and multiple media coverage.
5 Honoring Dr. Souad Mohamed Al-Sabah by the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal International Prize for Arab
Poetry in its first session for her contributions to documenting Arab poetry
Number 7 The used of articles technical published template
6 Sheikha Al-Othman was awarded the (Innovators under 35) award given by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology magazine, which is the best technical institution in the world in partnership with Dubai Future Foundation. She was chosen after receiving the first prize in the field of public health for its innovation in caring for home patients and its application in hospitals of New York
Number 8 The used of articles technical
7published template
Eng. Asma Al-Ateeq, was honored by the Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC), affiliated to the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), for her invention of the « Smart Waste Sorting Container» among a group of Kuwaiti inventors with international patents in recognition of their scientific efforts
Number The used 8published template
Press interview 2
Text news Visual news Declaration 511
Text news Visual news Report Television interview 2141
Text news Visual news Declaration Television interview of articles 32 technical 2 1 4 1
Ms. Sharifa Al-Ghanim received the recognition from the Indian Charity Association for her efforts towards persons with disabilities
Number of articles 1 published
The used technical template
Text news
1
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9 Dr. Haneen Al-Ghabra received the award for the best annual book for her book (Muslim Women and White Femininity: Simulation and Resistance) granted by the American National Communications Association. Her book addresses issues related to white racism against Muslim women in the light of Western media
Number 11 of articles published
The used technical template
Text news 11
10 11
10.
to lecture at a prestigious university, which is one of the most prestigious universities in France and the world
Dr. Jinan bin Salama gave a lecture at the Sorbonne University in France as the first Kuwaiti
Number 6 of articles published
The used Text news Press story technical 1 1 template
11.
International Red Sea Conference of Ophthalmology in Jeddah
This news has not been reported by the local media.
Dr. Hanadi Jassam Al-Omani received the «Basira» award on the sidelines of the Fifth
12
Text news
1
13
12. Honoring Maryam Al-Aqil from the Arab Women’s Foundation in Britain for her prominent role in developing work in the government sectors in which she worked. The honor was during a ceremony held by the Foundation in cooperation with the British University (Regent) in honor of a group of Arab women creators in various fields
Number 12 of articles published
The used technical template
Visual news 29
13.
University Union Medal at the Women Leaders’ Summit Conference held in Istanbul
This news has not been addressed by local media, except for creation of a single Twitter account.
Honoring Sheikha Nawal Al-Hamoud Al-Malik Al-Sabah with the with the International
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements
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14
Design
The appointment of lawyer, Jumana Adnan Behbehani, as advisor to the President of the International Bar Association «UIA» as the first Kuwaiti lawyer to occupy this position
Number 3 of articles published
The used technical template
3
This news has not been reported by the local media
15
1
16
17
18
Number of articles published
With respect to the numbers of media outlets that interacted with the news over the course of the competition, there are a number of media outlets that published more than one journalistic article, but the media outlet was monitored, not the published material
An engineer turns into a chef who sells in a mobile commercial vehicle as the first Kuwaiti to turn to such business
Press story
Dr. Ghaid Al-Salem receives the National Patient Safety Award at the 2nd Saudi International Patient Safety Conference 2019 for her research on assessing the patient safety climate in healthcare institutions
Number 1 of articles published
The used Text news technical 1 template
Mai Al-Issa wins the «Platts Global Energy» award as the first Kuwaiti to win this award
Presentation of this news was talking about the international Kuwait Petroleum Company’s wining of award, which was reported by the Kuwait News Agency “KUNA”
Kuwaiti Women›s Weightlifting win a number of medals in the Arab Championship for young men and women in Jordan
13
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Women-Related Events
During the reporting period, many activities related to women were active in Kuwait, especially as the period coincided with international events for women.
The United Nations has designated the 25th of November of each year as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which comes as a result of discrimination against women in law or in practice or as a result of continued inequality between men and women. The UN considers that every discrimination is violence, and violence is a crime that this generation has practiced against women in general and is constantly working
The Ninth and Annual Regional Conference for Women:
It was hosted by Kuwait from November 11 to 13 under the auspices of Minister of State for Economic Affairs, her Excellency Maryam Al-Aqeel and in cooperation between the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and the Center for Women›s Studies and Research at Kuwait University, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Women›s Empowerment Authority. They are the sponsors
of the project to support Kuwait in implementing the fifth sustainable development goal on gender equality.
The paper and electronic media dealt with the conference by covering its hosting as well as conveying some of the statements. We did not notice the presence of press interviews with the
hard to get rid of it in all its forms.
On the same day, 25th of November, a 16-day
global campaign for violence against women will be launched and will run until the 10th of December each year under the theme «Unite to Eliminate Violence Against Women». This year, the campaign dedicated the theme of the Union to eliminate violence against women in the workplace. In addition, the period witnessed the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders, which falls on 29th of November each year.
Perhaps the most prominent events that were implemented on this occasion are the following:
personalities who attended the conference from outside Kuwait and who are interested in women›s work. However, the media quoted a number of statements that are mainly quoted by the Kuwait News Agency KUNA, perhaps the most prominent of which is the statement of Minister Aqeel, who said that the conference came in line with the vision of His Highness the Emir of Kuwait and in response to the realization of Vision 2035 and the development plan for the new Kuwait.
The Kuwait News Agency highlighted that the conference is a project that provides an innovative platform for strengthening local cadres and institutions to implement the 2030 Agenda, especially with regard to the fifth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality, as well as applying the indicators of the fifth goal in accordance with the national context.
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

Our Role, an online platform for women:
It was launched by a group of women leaders on the 10th of October as the first online platform that brings together women and aims to promote and develop the role of women(29).
The media did not give much importance to this event, especially since the platform is an online application that is working through lawyers, psychologists, businesswomen and journalists who have shown their willingness to help and solve
the problems of their female counterparts, and will showcase women›s achievements and work in various fields. It will contain all laws concerning women.
Role of Kuwaiti women diplomats in the United Nations for security and peace:
It is a panel discussion held at the Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah Building – United Nations House at the invitation of the Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the United Nations Resident Coordinator to the State of Kuwait, Dr. Tariq Al-Sheikh.
The event was addressed by the media, according to the Kuwait News Agency KUNA, where the agency has made extensive coverage about what happened in it. A group of Kuwaiti diplomats and representatives of international organizations on
Thursday praised the great and important role of Kuwaiti women in the diplomatic service in terms of security and peace(30).
Towards a national vision to eliminate violence against women:
It is a panel discussion carried out by the Kuwaiti Society for Human Rights on November 25th in line with the 16-day campaign to eliminate violence against women, and in solidarity with the rights
of women in Kuwait, during which a draft law on combating violence against women was submitted and a review of the results of a questionnaire conducted by the Society on gender-based violence.
Although the session introduced a draft law to eliminate violence against women, the media were concerned about the results of the questionnaire, which showed that more than half of the women surveyed were subjected to violence.
Domestic Violence in Kuwaiti Society .. Prevention and Solutions:
It is a panel discussion organized by the Development Office in the Office of His
Highness the Prime Minister(31). This event was
an opportunity for the media to re-discuss some issues related to women, particularly discrimination against them in the law, which, for example, prevents women from signing operations for their children unless they are authorized by the guardian. It also raised the issue of domestic and gender-based violence as well as the ever-controversial article of Penal Code No. (153).
(29) (30) (31)
Al-Rai newspaper, link: https://alraimedia.com/Home/Details?id=af68d69d-07254-cac-9f8b-18195973669c Ministry of Information website, link: http://www.news.gov.kw/NewsDetails.aspx?id=69878&cid=1
Ministry of Information, link: http://www.news.gov.kw/NewsDetails.aspx?id=72892&cid=1
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Notes:
It has become clear from the monitoring of women›s events that:
• Most of the media depend on the coverage of Kuwait News Agency KUNA
• There is a lack of presentation of women›s issues that are raised in the events, and the focus is on the headlines of the event or the prominent attendees
• Some media, especially the news media on Twitter, deliberately raise some issues in women›s events in order to interact on their platforms and not to raise the issue and raise awareness about it
• Some events do not find a way to media attention, perhaps due to the lack of coordination between the organizers and the media
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

Feminist
Movement
On December 12, a professor at Kuwait University tweeted through his account on the social networking site Twitter that as part of the efforts of the Department of History and Antiquities at Kuwait University to update its tools to serve the learning process and equip a conscious generation with research tools and channels, the meeting
of the Scientific Department Council approved
the establishment of three specialized voluntary research units (Gulf Historical Studies Unit, European Studies Unit, Women›s Studies Unit).
He noted that the Women›s Studies Unit will
follow the emergence of women›s history through different ages and link it to contemporary feminist movements historically. This area makes the History Department of Kuwait University one of the few departments that care about this type of important studies, adding that the woman who will lead this Unit is a feminist activist(32).
The term feminism has recently emerged, where
it faced many comments about its content. Some attacked it severely and emptied it of its content, inferring some extremist currents and reasoning that a feminist movement cannot be established in the presence of a conservative society, while some considered its existence as essential because it liberates women from all custody or at least from the guardianship that directly restricts them and subjects them to male authority.
On Twitter, there have been a number of tweets that have been monitored about the reason for
the spread of feminist movements and whether it is because of injustice to women? Some responses confirmed yes?(33),» while others confirmed that no one focus on women›s rights and injustices in the laws of nationality, housing and violence(34).
On November 11th, a lecture entitled «Feminism between Arabs and the West» was implemented
in Kuwait, through the Kalimat platform for Culture and Creativity, during which Dr. Saad Al-Bazai delivered a lecture entitled : «Feminism
is the Migration of Concepts and the Multiplicity of Contexts», during which he said that feminism came as a social and political movement in addition to being a field of studies involving theories and concepts coming from a Western context to reach a different environment, and remained transformed according to the uses and circumstances. He pointed out that the demand of women for their rights is not the monopoly of culture or society,
but rather a phenomenon known to other cultures and societies, including the Arab countries. He said that Arab women have long demanded their rights, before they know about other claims, pointing out that he talks about a human situation required
by circumstances, created by evolution, but the advent of the Western concept into Arab culture has created a new situation, which went beyond the basic claim of rights, to influence how women view
(32)
(33) (34) (35)
Tweet in the account of Prof. Abdullah Mohammed Al-Hajri on Twitter, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Research and Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Kuwait University and former head of the Department of History and Secretary of the Kuwaiti Historical Society, link: https://twitter.com/abdullaa189/ status/1205221960344637440
Twitter Tweet Link: https://twitter.com/azizalhubail/status/1197170161561882625
Twitter Tweet Link: https://twitter.com/Noor_Mahmoud/status/1196137439871549441
The Lecturer’s YouTube Channel, link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLhbkKMgDxE&feature=youtu.be
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their identity as female versus men, or what is today known as their gender identity(35).
He said that one of the concepts that emerged is
the evolution of feminist studies, and the spread of its theoretical foundations, that is the concept that is now common, i.e. gender, , which in feminist studies refers to the role of the sexual nature of man, i.e. being male or female, how to view them, cultural, social and economic biases, and even the resulting linguistic ones, ideological attitudes and other issues, issues and problems. All of these are pillars of feminist studies and related theories and attitudes, developed mainly in a European context, and then transferred to other cultures. However, their transition did not mean its survival as it is, but rather, as a whole, it comes from culture to culture. They are subject to scrutiny, sifting and selection in deliberate or necessarily intentional processes, but are the result of environment in the new culture. This holds true for all immigrant ideas: Russian Marxism, non-Marxist, Chinese, non-French, and non-Arab, as well as with schools of literature, psychology, and sociology, even in what is known as the natural sciences(36).
The lecture produced a number of reactions, which forced Al-Bazai to post a tweet on his Twitter account in which he said that his lecture was not an adoption of an issue or a defense of anyone as much as it was an intellectual discussion and a historical analysis of a multi-dimensional movement, pointing out that he believes in the rights of women and defends them, but the lecture envisaged the analytical historical aspect, not the argumentative, although there is an implicit position that is
undoubtedly supportive(37).
On the other hand, specifically in New Orleans, USA, at the 53rd Annual Conference of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), the largest and oldest American non-profit academic association that brings together intellectuals and researches Middle East affairs, Dr. Badr Musa Al-Seif, from the History Department of the Kuwait University, gave a lecture entitled «Religions are not Exclusively for Men», during which he said that men have dominated the production of knowledge in Islam since the introduction of Islam, but this did not prevent the emergence of calls for better and broader empowerment of women, which allowed the emergence of a seed of what we might call Islamic feminism(38).
According to Al-Anba newspaper, he pointed
out that Islamic feminism has a basic strategy
of competing with the dominance of men, and fighting for equal rights between men and women, stressing that this Islamic feminist movement
is witnessing a clear prosperity in the Arabian Peninsula, and that it is characterized by a plurality of interpretations on the status of women in Islam. This was mentioned in his research on a variety of Islamic feminist movements that focus on the goal of changing the nature of the relationship between men and women.
There are many debates, particularly on Twitter about feminism in Kuwait, some of which are fanatic in rhetoric, whether in support or rejection, and remain controversial until they take their time, like all issues that arise on the scene.
(36) Previous source
(37) Tweet on the doctor›s Twitter account, link: https://twitter.com/albazei/status/1186876569295478785
(38) Al-Anba Newspaper, short link: https://cutt.us/YTSSS
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements

Conclusion and Recommendations
Through the figures reviewed for women and the achievements they have achieved during the period only, we believe that the media›s handling of women›s issues is not sufficient because it is a seasonal approach on the one hand, and also because it deals with issues in passing without focusing on and raising or adopting a single issue until victory. We therefore recommend the following:
1. Activating the role of the media by publicizing 5. the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women,
through media campaigns and all visual and
print media
2. Making more efforts to overcome the
difficulties that prevent women from
participating in media work and working to 6. create a larger media space for women and not
to limit media material to news coverage of
their achievements or events
3. Urging the media to present the correct and balanced image of women in a way that reflects their contribution and role in developing the development process
4. The need of the various media outlets to adopt a clear strategy in dealing with women›s issues without limiting themselves to one part but not the other
Encouraging women›s access to digital journalism, as their presence in this area is limited in terms of contribution and framing, and this field of journalism still bears male features both in its topics and methods
of dealing with various issues, as well as contributors to its preparation
Paper media should devote columns to women›s issues and highlight the most prominent challenges they suffer from, and work on the printing of weekly supplements on women›s issues supervised by male and female journalists specialized in this aspect
Women in Kuwaiti Media: A Modest Coverage of Tremendous Achievements
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