The Gendered Effects of Violence: War, Women's Health and Experience in Iraq

Abstract

The violence stemming from the occupation and civil war between 2003 and 2008 in Iraq redefined the oppression and suffering of Iraqi women, disrupting and shifting their social and familial roles, while also making them vulnerable as targets in the civil conflict. This thesis demonstrates the complexity of motive and aim to the violence committed against Iraqi women and argues that the effects of that violence were far more wide reaching and layered than simply the impact of the violent act itself. Because of this, the effects of violence go beyond the battlefield and affect women in the most intimate way possible - their lives, their health and that of their children. By analyzing how violence has intruded upon and shaped the daily reality of Iraqi women one is able to better understand the gendered experience of conflict and violence in Iraq and its responsibility for the deterioration of Iraqi women's health and well-being.