Breaking Tradition: Women of Saudi Arabia
Traditions have been passed down for generations, hardly ever changing. If changed, it doesn't effect the purpose of the tradition, but more of how the tradition is carried out. Such as if you celebrated Easter over at grandma's house but she passed away, you might celebrate it at another family member's house. Saudi Arabia is notorious for having one of the most influential traditions that affects all members of their society. Based on a strict interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism, women are expected to stay at home tending to the house while men work to support the family. Wahhabism places restrictions on women making them dependent of their male relative. The sexes are strictly segregated in order to prevent unmarried, unrelated men and women from mingling (Sullivan 1). This tradition has been the law of the land in Saudi Arabia for centuries. Despite small reforms, this tradition is strictly enforced throughout the land. While this tradition has been an influential part of Saudi Arabian society, a time for change has come. A rising generation of Saudi women are fighting back against their extremely conservative religious society. Women are protesting and creating social media pages and blogs in order to draw attention to this ongoing issue. The government has drawn attention to these issues presented and has already started making reforms to give women equal rights. While some unequal rights stay the same, the upcoming generations of Saudi women and the ongoing support from their local government has caused tradition to change.
In Saudi Arabia, women are required to wear a black cloak which conceals their entire body as well as a head covering. The only part that is visible on ...
... middle of paper ...
....” Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, CA] 27 Oct. 2013: A.4. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Harding, Luke. “Text Alerts Tell Saudi Men if Women Leave the Country.” Guardian [London, England] 24 Nov. 2012: 41. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Hubbard, Ben. “Women Taking on Jobs and Testing a Saudi Taboo.” International New York Times [Paris, France] 4 Dec. 2013: 8. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 May 2014.
McManus, Doyle. “Change in the Kingdom.” Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, CA] 25 Dec. 2011: 32. SIRS Interactive Citizenship. Web. 28 May 2014.
Sandels, Alexandra. “Signaling Their Anger.” Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, CA] 18 June 2011: 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 May 2014.
Sullivan, Kevin. “Saudi Women, Educated but Jobless.” Washington Post [Washington, DC] 13 Nov. 2012: 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 May 2014.
The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.
...enging Myths of Muslim Women: The Influence of Islam On Arab-American Women's Labor Force Activity. Muslim World, 92(1/2), 19. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made.
Western, David. “Islamic ‘Purse Strings’: the Key to Amelioration of Women’s legal Rights in the Middle East” Air Force law and Review Vol. 61. 0094-8381(2008): p79-147.
"Report: The Women in the Middle East Workplace 2011 - Survey." National Council for Research on Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
The Middle-Eastern culture is very different from that of the United States. Particularly, the way women are treated. Women in the US have as much freedom as they would like; whereas the women in the Middle-East have very little. In the Middle-East women are severely restricted in every aspect of their lives. They are not allowed to drive a car or go in public without the presence of a male family member, they have to be covered from their heads to their ankles in the presence of men, and they have very little choice, in who they marry.
How has the pre-existing gender division of labor and gendered state policies affected Saudi Arabia’s women workers in their demand for equal opportunities and fair treatment? What are some of the factors involved in disempowering migrant workers in host countries and what happens when these workers start asking for their rights?
Historically, before Muslim women in Morocco experienced a cultural transformation and succumbed to the influences of Western culture, they lived their lives in very traditional Muslim ways and were perceived as wives and mothers. Muslim women traditionally married young, they did not receive much in terms of an education, and were expected to accommodate two types of work, domestic and reproduction (Sadiqi and Ennaji 2006 p.91). The former is learned in childhood and the latter acquired through education and training (Sadiqi and Ennaji 2006). Whereas economic provision is the responsibility of men, women were expected to marry and reproduce to earn status (Ahmed 1992). Men, unlike women, also had the unilateral right to divorce, whereas a woman could work and travel only with the written permission of her male guardian, family honour and good reputation (Ahmed 1992).
Middle Eastern women need to stand up for their rights and get educated to reverse the notion that they are servants and properties of their men. Furthermore, they need to rise up to their potentials and prove beyond doubt that they are equal to men. This practice would lead the path for future generations to follow and protect the inalienable rights of women. Finally, these women need to break the cycle of oppression by addressing these deeply rooted beliefs, gaining the tools to fight back, and joining forces to make lifelong changes.
In 2007, as written on The Washington Post, Bill Gates said that Women are the key to Saudi Arabia’s Economy. Gates was speaking in a business seminar that was held in Saudi Arabia at the time, Gates, was asked by one of the members of the seminar if he thought that Saudi Arabia could meet its goals of becoming one of the worlds leading economies by 2010. Bill Gates replied by saying: “Well if you’re not fully utilizing half the talent in the country, you’re not going to get too close to the top.” What is Discrimination? Discrimination is the degradation or exclusion of a minority group within the society. There are many different grounds to discrimination such as race, color, gender, citizenship, age, disability and so much more. This essay will focus on gender-based discrimination that are most common in the MENA Labor market discussing possible causes and remedies for this problem.
Keddie, Nikki R., and Beth Baron. Women in Middle Eastern History: Shifting Boundaries in Sex and Gender. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991.
The classic portrayal of the Arab woman more times than not is her servitude to an overbearing husband who beats her, having to remain in the home, never be educated and whose soul function is to serve as the maid and or child bearer. The character Umm Saad in Fadia Faqir’s Pillars of Salt is the standard for this perception. Umm Saad after one year of schooling in Trans Jordan is den...
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
The issue begins with Westerners’ false idea that Middle Eastern women envy them when in fact, they are very proud of who they are. What Muslim women envy are the positions of authority and the lack of poverty western women have. Their religion is important to them and who they are defines their culture and place in
In summary, Saudi Arabia is a conservative country and the debate about should women drive has shown us that people are at the edge of changing. Women have every right to drive and the government should take some serious steps to make that happen. It should allow them to drive while satisfying both sides because each side has valid points, and the only way this is going to work is new laws that assure women can safely drive.