This report, in the words of Women for Women International president and CEO, Zainab Salbi, is grounded in "the belief that a nation cannot prosper, nor can peace be sustained, without the full participation of women." (4)
In 2004 Women for Women International conducted its first survey of 1,000 Iraqi women. Although basic needs were lacking then, "90.6% of women surveyed were optimistic about the future." (6) Women for Women International chose to survey Iraqi women again "because of the belief that women's issues are society's issues, and that analysis of the conditions of women's lives provides reliable insight into the overall strength of the nation." (6) This study collected information from 1,513 Iraqi women nationwide. The report consists of four parts: History and Context, Women for Women International Iraq, Study Findings: Life in Iraq Today, and Action Agenda.
Part III, Study Findings: Life in Iraq Today includes some of the study questions and responses disaggregated by region. The study regions were Central Iraq (Fallujah, Sammara, Rawa), Baghdad, Basrah, Kurdistan (Erbil and Sulaymaniyah), Southern Iraq (Hilla, Karbala, Kut, Nasiriyah), and Kirkuk. It is not surprising that the results varied dramatically by region. Topics covered in the survey range from questions on security, hope for the future, violence against women, the economy and infrastructure, social services, and political institutions and participation.
