BAGHDAD , Iraq ( CNN ) -- Four thousand women are running for office in Iraq 's provincial elections Saturday , and many of them will be guaranteed seats under an electoral quota system . Iraqi women show off their ink-stained fingers after voting Saturday in Baghdad . Regardless of the votes their candidates receive , parties are required to give every third seat to a woman , according to a report this week from the International Crisis Group . The ultimate share of seats held by women will depend on the distribution of votes among parties , the report said . Some women candidates say these elections -- only the second provincial elections since the fall of Saddam Hussein -- are a chance to improve their standing in Iraqi society . Nibras al-Mamuri is a secular female candidate who argues that fundamentalists have taken over the country . She says it was the 2005 elections that brought them into power and tarnished Islam 's image in Iraq . Al-Mamuri , who is running for the Baghdad provincial council , says it 's time for a change . Watch how women are trying to bring change to Iraq » . `` Although a woman 's role in the Arab world is mainly that of a mother and child bearer , '' she said , `` I want to prove that women are just as capable as men when it comes to challenging arenas . '' At first , al-Mamuri said , she thought just participating in the elections as a woman was enough . But now , she says she is running to win in order to defy men who believe a woman 's place is in the home . `` I 've entered a battlefield where women have to prove they are competent , '' she said . `` I have to forget about fear . '' In recent years , Iraqi women have been targeted by extremists for a variety of reasons -- from not covering their hair to entering the political arena . Under Hussein , Iraq was one of the more secular Arab countries , but the 2003 U.S. invasion unleashed extremist militias . Now , many activists say women have been forced back to the Dark Ages , forced to be submissive , anonymous and fully veiled . Al-Mamuri said she believes Saturday 's vote can help women improve their position in society . `` An Iraqi woman can be an equal . She can participate in change , '' she told CNN . The image of a woman posing a public and direct challenge to fundamentalists and their beliefs was not seen in the 2005 vote . `` Iraqi women form the core of society , '' said Rissala Khalid , another female candidate in Baghdad . Passing out her campaign card , Khalid told young women that she will fight for their rights , and told young men that she will try to provide jobs for Iraq 's largely unemployed youth . CNN 's Arwa Damon contributed to this report .
Female candidates seek to change women 's status in Iraqi society . Many will be guaranteed seats under electoral quota system . Candidate says she 's running to challenge fundamentalist beliefs about women .