As Saudi Arabia adopts policies easing gender segregation in public life, neighboring Kuwait has taken one step in the opposite direction. In September 2023, Kuwait’s Parliament, or National Assembly, came to an agreement accelerating the procedures to implement a 1996 law on gender segregation, effectively enforcing the segregation of men and women at Kuwait University. This sudden change raised questions concerning the dynamics of campus life, academic relationships, and wider cultural ramifications.
Kuwait University has been a mainstay of education in the Gulf since its founding in 1966. It has significantly influenced the intellectual environment in Kuwait, serving as a pioneer in the arts and sciences and as an incubator for social movements stemming from student activism.
The reintroduction of gender segregation at the university, a decision made without the input of Kuwaiti students, will have a significant impact on all young Kuwaitis. This separation of male and female students will influence how they look at equality, inclusivity, and cultural identity. Some Kuwaiti students have decided to push back.
A Short History of Gender Segregation at Kuwait University
Gender segregation has its roots in the cultural and religious traditions of Kuwait, but its implementation in public life has fluctuated with Kuwaiti politics. Since the reinstatement of Kuwait’s elected Parliament following the country’s liberation from Iraqi occupation, Islamist political societies and conservative forces have become more prominent. In 1996, the Parliament passed Law No. 24 of 1996, mandating the separation of male and female students within classroom settings, and gave the government five years to implement the law. However, the Constitutional Court ruled in 2015 that, because the law did not specify how to achieve separation between male and female students, it was sufficient to provide a distinct area for female students within the same lecture hall. The September 2023 parliamentary interpretation of Article 1 of the law, however, is much stricter and states that lectures and public spaces on campus must be fully segregated “to ensure the prevention of mixing by placing special places for female students.” At a minimum, this would require that the same class be taught once for men and once for women. Although Article 3 of the original law mandated segregation at private universities as well, it has only been implemented at Kuwait University, which is public.
Parliamentary Bloc for Cultural Values
The changes at Kuwait University were spearheaded by the chairman of Parliament’s Values Enhancement Committee, Mohammed Hayef Al-Mutairi (no relation to the author). He and other allies in Parliament claim gender segregation creates a peaceful social environment that is good for moral and intellectual growth. In a September 2023 interview, Mutairi pushed back against those contending that segregation constrains the liberty of Kuwaitis, arguing that Article 2 of the Kuwaiti Constitution makes Islam the religion of the state and the main source of legislation. Thus, Mutairi argued, “Personal freedoms are something else; this is a law.”
Mutairi and other conservative allies campaigned for the 2022 parliamentary elections under the Values Document political program. The document contained 13 pledges made by the signatories to their constituents to bring society more in line with the constitution and their conservative interpretation of Islamic values, including the segregation of Kuwait University. The pro-Islamic bloc gained political influence after the elections, and its members set about implementing their program. On August 7, five of the bloc’s members proposed Article 1 of the 1996 law be swiftly implemented to clearly mandate gender segregation across campus. On September 13, a deal was reached among the Values Enhancement Committee, Minister of Education Adel Al-Manea, Kuwait University President Fayez AlDhafiri, and other university officials to strictly implement the law. So far, the gender segregation law has only been implemented in Kuwait University’s College of Law and College of Education, where 8,000 students are enrolled in a total 600 classes that have been segregated. Despite AlDhafiri’s commitment to quickly implement the law, gender segregation of other colleges has lagged due to class scheduling difficulties and a lack of an overarching agreement on implementation between the university and government. Consequently, Mutairi recently asked Manea when implementation will resume.
Support for segregation on campus is far from universal. In 2011, a referendum indicated that 69% of Kuwait University students supported revoking the law banning gender mixing. Student union groups have vocally opposed any consequential decisions changing campus dynamics without widespread student approval. The dissent voiced inside the university has been picked up by supportive members of parliament, in particular Jenan Bu Shehri, Dawoud Marafi, and Abdulwahab AlEissa who submitted a proposal for the abolishment of the 1996 law and questioned its necessity.
Kuwaiti Youth Speak Out
Kuwaiti youth are the main stakeholders in education, and they are speaking up more and more through campus protests and the media about their desire for an educational setting that reflects the diverse and inclusive world they will be entering after graduation.
Student union groups are unified in defiance of external intrusion into student affairs, even the most religiously conservative bloc, al-tilalefeya. The student groups Taauluf and al-Wasat al-Demoqrati issued statements contending that the new policy should not be allowed because it is external interference in university affairs and restricts their freedoms on campus.
Notable opposition has also been mounted by professors at the university. Professor Bashayir AlSanea stated in an interview that gender segregation has measurable consequences on students’ future success and academic achievement. She argued that the law delays graduation and complicates registration for courses, ultimately failing to prepare students for a mixed-gender workforce after university. The constraints imposed by gender-segregated environments make it more difficult for students to be exposed to different viewpoints and collaborative learning opportunities, both of which are critical for academic success. Moreover, the persistence of gender preconceptions in an isolated academic environment may have an impact on future career decisions, reducing the range of options accessible to male and female students upon graduation. Sarah AlOtaibi, an English student in the College of Arts, noted in an interview with the Kuwait Times that even the most sacred location for Muslims, Mecca, is not gender segregated.
On September 18, student groups and faculty members participated in a sit-in organized by the AlMustakillah student group and voiced their discontent with the law. At the sit-in, philosophy professor Sheikha AlJassim accused the university’s president of violating the understanding of the Constitutional Court ruling allowing gender segregation to take place within the same classroom. Student debates also have taken place via social media. On X, formerly Twitter, youth voiced their opposition to gender segregation with the trending hashtags “gender segregation in Kuwait University” and “the people are mixed.” Others, such as Kuwait University student Noura Mutairi (no relation to the author), stated that the collective student body is not obligated to conform to the conservative beliefs of Parliament. These perspectives are critical in shaping the current conversation around Kuwait University’s gender segregation policy and will influence the current and future positions of opponents of the policy.
The Regional Context and Future of Gender Segregation on Campus
Kuwait University’s rules on gender segregation are situated within a larger regional environment in which Gulf states have adopted a variety of regulations. United Arab Emirates University has adopted a coeducational model that fits with the country’s modernization and international integration goals. The university’s policy incorporates elements of both segregation and commingling of genders by separating genders in public facilities and partially separating them in classrooms. Saudi public universities, on the other hand, have always upheld rigorous gender segregation through separate educational campuses and lectures, indicative of the conservative cultural values common in the kingdom. Qatar University has had its own debate on gender segregation and shifted between gender mixing and segregation on several occasions.
The debate over Kuwait University will take place within these regional debates at this nexus of modernity and tradition. The policy outcome will depend on how Kuwait University manages the intricate relationships that exist among societal norms, cultural traditions, and regional and international educational standards. Kuwait University has promised to recalibrate policies in response to the dynamic world of 21st century education, but it also faces the challenge of upholding tradition while adapting to changing student expectations. Ultimately, the university’s responsibility to educate students for a globalized workforce in conjunction with the younger generation’s more liberal attitudes (and its desire to have a say in policies affecting campus dynamics) may lead to a gradual reevaluation of gender segregation rules.
The views represented herein are the author’s or speaker’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of AGSIW, its staff, or its board of directors.
