This article explores Iraqi women’s political activism since 2003 relying on an in–depth ethnography of women’s political organizations conducted mainly in Baghdad, as well as in the cities of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Najaf–Kufa, Karbala and Nasriya. The paper begins with an exploration of some of the characteristics of the post–2003 context and its very real impact on women’s lives and activism. It then moves on to study what the author terms ‘NGO–ization’ and its impact on women’s rights activism in Iraq since 2003. Finally, the author surveys the different forms taken by women’s political activism ranging from the establishment of women–focused NGOs to women’s participation in the protest movement which began in the summer of 2015.