Many of us remember what it was like for women in the sixties and the seventies. The Mini skirt was in fashion, sisterhood was the watchword, higher education and equal pay were all the rave. Yep, those were the days in Baghdad.
In the years before Saddam Hussein took his nation into war, women held powerful government positions, and wielded real political leverage. Today, women have slipped far into the background, most spending time sequestered in their homes, rather than participating in the rebuilding of their country. It’s reasonable to imagine that the women who ran Iraq in the 1970’s would play a key role in getting the nation back on its feet, and getting themselves back into decision making positions. It hasn’t happened yet.
Guests:
Sidney Kwiram, project coordinator for the Carr Foundation
Lauren Sandler, New York City based journalist, both Lauren and Sidney recently returned from a research project on women and culture in Iraq
Rend Rehim Francke, executive director of the Iraq Foundation
Yanar Mohammed, director of Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq