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Material World - A Global Family Portrait
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CIRAQU9.TXT
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1993-11-07
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41 lines
50. How many telephones do you own?
We use the telephone only for brief conversations.
51. If you read, what do you read?
Amira and Ikhlas like to read about culture and history.
52. Are you politically active?
We all belong to the Arab Baath Socialist Party, but we are not active.
53. What are your perceptions of the rest of the world?
By watching TV it seems to us that the rest of the world is
very nice.
Family Dreams
54. Are you satisfied with your lifestyle?
No one is complaining about our lifestyle. It sounds strange,
but actually life is not that bad. We all have jobs or go to
school. Money is sparse, but sufficient. The country is under
embargo with an official unemployment rate of 70%. People
complain a lot about the embargo. No more international
contacts, no drugs, the devaluation of the Iraqi dinar and the
outrageous prices in the shops.
55. Do you consider yourselves better off than your parents
and grandparents?
We consider ourselves better off than our parents and
grandparents. We have a car, a TV, and think our life is easier.
The women's condition is more free, but still life is first
controlled by our fathers' and then by our husbands' decisions.
In any event, we don't envy the situation of the Western women.
56. What would your family like to own that you think
would make your lives better?
No one is really asking for more than the end of the embargo.
57. When and how are you planning for retirement?
In Iraq people work for 30 years. After they have done their
time, they can retire. Alia as a teacher will retire when she
turn 55.