ABSTRACT
Moreover, the patriarchal social structures regulating Kuwait's civil society restrict women's participation within state-controlled groups. The secular and nationalist groups in Kuwait were receptive to the issue of women’s rights. Although they did not advocate full gender equality, these groups were nevertheless in favour of extending some rights to women, in particular the right to political participation. The new religious women’s groups played a powerful role in marginalizing feminist voices as well as reshaping the content of women’s public discourse to reinforce female submission. Emphasis was placed on the duties of women in society as a means of diverting the average Kuwaiti woman from feminist concerns. The 1980s saw the emergence of religious women's groups seeking to reinforce female submission. This was further exacerbated by an over-staffed public sector and a high level of unemployment among youth, whose rights to work are constitutionally guaranteed.
