CHARACTER RESEARCH- The role of women in Kuwait

Women of Kuwait

The link above is to a website about organisations helping women in Kuwait. I thought it was important to do some research into women's role in Kuwait and how that has changed over time. This research is adding more and more layers to my particular interpretation of Beatrice and will help create a accurate character taking into consideration all the factors affecting our piece. 

I decided to focus on the period the play is specifically set in- the 1990s (the website however has some other interesting information about other periods.) 

• After the Gulf war there were 2 major developments: 1. most women's organisations were now focused on helping the community and 2. The Federation of the Kuwaiti Women's Associations was made representative of Kuwaiti women's associations outside of Kuwait. 
• Sheikha Latifa, chairwomen of the Islamic Care Society and the Volunteer Women's Associations for Community Services, was made head of the FKWA giving women full control over women's groups and the right to speak on behalf of Kuwaiti women. 
• Post war the situation for Kuwaiti women married to non-Kuwaitis became very difficult as they were denied any support from the state. Any government support is paid or given directly to Kuwaiti men as the head of the household so if your husband was not Kuwaiti you were not liable to this help. These women sought help from the Women's Cultural and Social Society who demanded that Kuwaiti women could pass citizenship on to their children in the same way that Kuwaiti men do. 

After the war women clearly faced a lot of troubles from the political and social backlash of the war. In this unstable time for women, a character such as Beatrice is unusual and it has helped me understand that her situation is very privileged. After reading this I can see Beatrice as a Kuwaiti feminist, defiant against the more conservative values of society. Her voice must speak above a crowd that would wish to silence her and in these times of uncertainty for many Kuwaiti women, there was a lot to say.