Progress Amid Resistance

KUWAIT 237of these complaints remain unresolved. 31 Although the penal code generallyaddresses harassment, no laws specifically protect women from sexualharassment in the workplace despite the urgent need for such legislation,particularly among foreign women and domestic workers.Gender-specific benefits such as the right to maternity leave and childcareexist in both the private and public sectors. Working women are entitledto 40 days of maternity leave after delivery and another four months’leave without pay if they certify that they are ill as a result of the pregnancy.Daycare facilities, both publicly and privately funded, are widely availableand affordable in all parts of Kuwait for children aged three to six,although some complain that their hours of operation are not adequate forworking women.Women are entitled to pensions, but upon death their benefits are transferredto their dependent children and spouses only under specific conditions.Articles 64 and 65 of the social security law state that the pensionof the deceased wife goes to the children if they are younger than 28 yearsold, and to the husband if he is unable to work due to a disability. If thechildren are employed or the only children are married daughters, the pensionexpires. If any other family members prove that they were dependenton the woman’s income, they receive part of the pension. 32Women’s rights organizations publicly protested the 2007 labor re -strictions for fear that they could pave the way for further discriminationagainst women. The WCSS held a rally at its headquarters in June 2007that drew many influential political figures and women’s rights activists.33 Despite this support, gender discrimination and stereotypes arelikely to persist in light of the perceived threat of women’s employmentto men’s job prospects and the dominance of conservative groups in theparliament.RecommendationsF The government should enact laws that ensure equal employmentop portunities and conduct public-awareness campaigns to eradicatethe traditional gender stereotypes that inhibit women’s participationin the workforce.F The government should set gender-specific hiring targets for governmentjobs, with an emphasis on recruiting qualified women for expertand supervisory positions in all ministries.