IRAQI WOMEN'S SITUATION AT THE END OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND THE BEGINNING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Abstract

From a historical point of view, the Iraqi society is well known for its conservative social fabric, but that didn’t necessarily mean that Iraqi women were shadowed over by that conservative atmosphere. Through its history Iraq has produced famous, courageous, and self dependent women, in different fields of life. During Modern History Iraq was a part of the Ottoman Empire for about four centuries, with the decline of that Empire, the Iraqi society was affected either directly or indirectly, and the situation of women in Iraq wasn’t getting any better, not to mention some of the local traditions that were designed to prevent women from taking their right role, even from a religious perspective, due to the tribal way of life that the Iraqi society was ruled by. All the above and more were elements that slowed down women in the Iraqi society in having a wider, more diverse role, and resulted in the long lasting; acuminated an affection of these elements, the Iraqi society has lost its capacity to rebuild and flourish.