Living in Kuwait as a Woman: What You Need to Know

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – living in Kuwait is a mixed bag and it’s certainly not for everyone. That said, whether or not you enjoy life in Kuwait doesn’t come down to your gender. A lot of women contact me, asking what life is like living in Kuwait as a woman (Is it safe? Can I walk around alone? What do I wear?) so today I’m answering my most asked questions about what expat life in Kuwait is really like for women.

What to Wear

One of the first questions most women grapple with after deciding to move to Kuwait (right after ‘Where is Kuwait?’) is, ‘What can I wear?’ Unlike in Saudi Arabia, there’s no law governing what women wear and no one expects you to don a hijab or an abaya.

However, just because you can’t get arrested for strutting around town in your Daisy Dukes doesn’t mean you should do it. Let’s be clear – you shouldn’t! Revealing outfits attract a lot of negative attention and will make you look painfully out of place. Not only that, but it’s disrespectful. As always, what you wear will depend in large part on the area you’re visiting, but aim to keep your shoulders and knees covered to avoid causing offence…and sticking out like a sore thumb.

Safety

With approximately 48% more males in the country than females, Kuwait can seem a little intimidating for women at first. I mean, there are men everywhere! That can sometimes make something as simple as walking to the bakala a little frightening if you’re alone. But I’m happy to report that the crime rate in Kuwait is very low and I never ran into any trouble while I was living there.

That said, things did get a little uncomfortable at times. Based on my own experiences and what I’ve heard from others, it’s quite common for women to find themselves followed around by men. I was never approached by any of these men, but they would follow me at a distance while I was walking around the mall or heading out for lunch. I even had a car follow me back to my apartment building once, which was kind of terrifying. I’m not trying to downplay this unsettling behaviour at all, but experience taught me that this kind of thing is more bizarre than sinister. Like I said, no one ever approached me and the situation never escalated into anything more.

But you should always be cautious and avoid putting yourself in potentially dangerous situations. That’s not a Kuwait-specific tip; that’s just a general life lesson.

Dating

Single and ready to mingle? Then girl, Kuwait is not the place for you.

Public displays of affection are strictly prohibited in public spaces, as is cohabitation outside of marriage and don’t even think about pre-marital sex. It’s not that you can’t date in Kuwait. In fact, I had a couple of friends who managed to form romantic relationships in Kuwait. But it’s hard.

Imagine a first date with no flirting, hand-holding or even a hug goodnight. And besides that, where do you even meet the guy? Kuwait isn’t exactly the social hub of the Gulf region so meeting new people can be tricky. So if you’re moving to Kuwait in search of a husband, you might want to rethink those plans.

Everyday Life

Most Westerners seem to view the entire Gulf region through Saudi-tinted glasses. “Can you drive there?” “Are you allowed to open your own bank account?” “Wait, you can walk down the street alone?”

Yes, yes and yes!

While Kuwait is a conservative country in many respects, there aren’t any restrictive laws that force women into a life of subservience, sitting at home all day, waiting for a man to show up and drive her to the store to get orange juice.

You can:

• Drive
• Own a bank account
• Work
• Walk around alone
• Walk next to a man
• Talk to whoever you want to (although whether they’ll want to talk back is another matter)
• Perform your own rendition of the Backstreet Boys’ hit, ‘Everybody’ in the middle of street

I generally advise again the last one, just because you might get a few strange looks, but the point is you’re not prohibited from doing anything just because you’re living in Kuwait as a woman.

The Gender Divide

Men and women don’t tend to intermingle in Kuwait they way the do in Western countries. While this won’t impact on your own circle of friends and who you choose to hang out with, it is worth bearing in mind to ensure you don’t accidentally overstep any boundaries.

For instance, I was warned never to offer my hand to a Kuwaiti man for a handshake. At home, handshakes are an entirely plutonic (and, admittedly, sometimes awkward) greeting, but in Kuwait they could be deemed as inappropriate. Similarly, be mindful of how close you stand next to men in public and don’t sit down next to any men you don’t know on a bench or bus. You just don’t want to give anyone the wrong impression.

As an expat, living in Kuwait as a woman really isn’t any different from living in Kuwait as a man. Don’t let the negative stereotypes you’ve heard put you off making the move. Kuwait is a perfectly safe place for women and there’s really nothing to worry about.

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