Saudi Arabia Research Paper
In America, women do not rely on male authority in order to live their lives. Women can freely attend to their daily lives without needing a man watching over. They are free to drive down to the supermarket and buy groceries. They can vote. Women come and go from their homes whenever they please. In America, women are seen as equals, not as inferiors. However, in Saudi Arabia, that is not the case. Women in Saudi Arabia are prohibited from doing certain things, especially without a male chaperone. They are seen as inferiors, who need constant supervision from a male. For example, some things that women cannot do include, “going anywhere without a chaperone, driving a car, wear clothes or makeup that show off their beauty, interact with men,
…show more content…
go for a swim, compete freely in sports, try on clothes when shopping, entering a cemetery, reading an uncensored fashion magazine, or buying a barbie” (http://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/eleven-things-women-in-saudi-arabia-cannot-do) . If a woman is going to be seen on the streets, they must have a male figure accompanying them at all times, or else they face possible arrestment. Women are prohibited from disobeying the Islamic Law of what women are forced to wear. In Saudi Arabia, the dress code includes an abaya, a long black cloak, and a hijab, the headscarf (The Week). According to Al Nafjan Eman’s What do Saudi Women Want, every Saudi woman has a male guardian that oversees anything the women do. At birth, the guardianship is given to the father, and upon marriage, it’s passed over to the husband (http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/910125105?accountid=13949). If the woman’s husband dies, her conservatorship is handed over to her son. He will be in charge of any decision making for her. Amélie Le Renard writes how she believes that women are categorized in a lower manner than men because it has been the ‘traditional norm’ for the past 50 years in Saudi Arabia. Women aren’t able to receive an education either due to the norm, and therefore have a low education. Sex categorizing is major problem that not only impacts Saudi Arabia, but the rest of the world as well. Women must take a stand for themselves and not let them be ruled by men(http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/218506384?accountid=13949).
Although some progress has been made by women standing up to fight for their rights, it will take some time to reach full equality. In Help or Hindrance? Religion’s Impact on Gender Inequality in Attitudes and Outcomes by Stephanie Seguino, she mentions some of the areas that still need attention. Those include, income education, economic, security, and gender related violence (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X100024820). While there are those hopeful of change, there are others that are blocked by fear in order to progress to the future.
Despite women’s attempts at fighting for equal rights, some believe that the guardianship of women should remain in place. There are countless women who are experiencing fear of change, fear that they wouldn’t know what to do if given equal rights. These women have been under men’s rule for so long that it’s the only way they know of living. For some, the fear of gaining new responsibilities is what holds them back from wanting freedom. This fear comes from the influence that America has put on these foreign countries in order for women to be granted equality. America is land of the free, and women do not have restrictions. However, these Saudi women have seen what women do in the US, and some aren’t ready to put up with those tasks yet. Al Nafjan Eman describes how women don’t want to open the door that allows [them] to run around the city doing errands all day”. Others who agree with ban are signing a campaign that requires signatures in order to call for the extension of gender segregation laws throughout Saudi Arabia’s hospitals, and would like to include malls. ((http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/910125105?accountid=13949). Not only are some people fearing change, they’re also fearing that once the gender stereotyping is over, women will become full equals, something men aren’t comfortable with either. In Abdallah M. Elamin and Katlin Omair’s Males’ Attitues Towards Working Females in Saudi Arabia, they explain the justification of gender role by saying that they are “closely connected to surrounding culture, that is, they reflect cognitive beliefs about differences between masculinity and femininity that the members of a particular culture share” (http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/754152552?accountid=13949).
Case Study : Saudi Arabian Women Protest Driving Ban:
Currently, Saudi Arabia is the only country that has religious acts that ban women from driving.
An anonymous author, due to privacy reasons, wrote Chronology: Saudi Arabia, an article that described the events that unfolded after women were detained because of driving. It specifically described how because of one woman’s youtube video that was uploaded, 12,000 members were attracted to it and therefore caused more chaos. The woman was detained, and later released after international and local rights groups condemned of her arrest. This would only be the beginning of women’s protests that were to take place in Saudi Arabia.
As a result of this, on October 26, Saudi women decided to stand up, and protest their rights again by driving on the streets and posting pictures of it on social media. They created the Women’s Driving Campaign and promoted it all over youtube. Due to the attention that this campaign received, October 26 became known as the Civil Disobedience Day (Mohammed Jamjoom and Laura Smith-Spark)
(http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/). By the end of the day, authorities had stopped five women that they spotted. Instead of the police dealing with the women directly, they waited until their male guardians arrived, at which point the women were released to them, and signed a pledge that forbid them from driving ever again.
(cnn)
(http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/). Although Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spoke out saying that their Saturday traffic was like any other day and no violations were broken, some say this was just a tactic in order to prevent women from continuing to carry out more protests. Warnings were issued the previous day about not driving, and afterwards, women reported having received threatening phone calls from the Ministry, ordering them not to drive or to face the consequences. Later on it was discovered that these phone calls were a public relations move in order to let women know what they would be getting themselves into. Mohammed Jamjoom and Laura Smith-Spark claim that even though the Ministry stated before that “it was against activities that disturb the public peace”, they see this as a contradiction statement since threatening women for getting behind the wheel falls under a disturbance. As a response to this, Amnesty International stepped in and urged Saudi Arabia not just to change their ways, but to not punish those that were campaigning as well. (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/).
However, some women haven’t been as fortunate as the rest. Instead of allowing them to freely go and sign a pledge form, two women were arrested and taken to a terrorist court in Riyadh, to be tried for breaking a ban. In the article, Two Saudi Women Arrested for Defying Driving Ban to Be Sent to Terror Court, written by Stav Ziv, he analyzes the effects of the arrest and how it was a step too far for Saudi Arabia to take. Just like other times, a “Cairo based human rights group stepped in order to condemn the arrest, calling it unjust and excessive” (Stav Ziv). Al-Hathloul, a 25-year-old activist, and Al-Amoudi, another activist, have been taken to terror court in Riyadh, and patiently await for their judgement. The government claims that these women are being taken there because of the amount of attraction that their social media has received. Both of these women were advocates for women’s driving rights and have more than a hundred thousand followers on twitter.
Although the arrests of both of these women has received more than enough attention, “Saudi authorities are intimidating” and will therefore keep “imprisoning and silencing activists” that try to protest against the country (Stav Ziv). Politically, Saudi Arabia will continue to keep having uprisings until the government decides to change the laws.
As well as political, not only does the ban affect women, but it affects the economy as well. In order to make up for loss of business since women couldn’t come in, restaurants, and even stores started delivering to women that were stuck. Instead of waiting for their male guardian to come, women were given access to order over the phone, and have their items delivered. Because of the increase in delivery, drives started demanding an increase in their paychecks. According to Forbidden to Drive: A Saudi Woman On Life Inside the Kingdom written by Jasmine Bager, she describes that the drivers would threaten to quit if they didn’t receive the increase they wanted. Soon, unregistered drivers started popping up, and they would charge as much as they wanted. Since half the population couldn’t go out, the economy started doing what they had to do in order to have money intake.
As of recent, there are some achievements that women have accomplished in Saudi Arabia. Women are now allowed to vote. Registration opened up in August for the December elections, and women were the first in line. In Saudi suffragettes: Women register to vote for the first time in Saudi Arabia, written by Eli Watkins, he voices how although this is a step in the right direction for women, it is not enough. Women have only been granted voting rights at municipal level, not higher. This will be the first time that women have been allowed to vote since 2011, when the deceased King Abdullah gave an order that allowed women political participation. Despite of the attempt to break the inequality barrier, Saudi Arabia still enforces their religion, Salafi. Because Salafi is a conservatist religion, Saudi Arabia established the male guardianship over women. As time passes, so do the protests that keep happening in Saudi Arabia. Women will keep fighting until they receive the same rights that men do. Whether it be protesting by driving a car, or mass protests in order to overturn the government, Saudi Arabian women will stop at nothing.
go for a swim, compete freely in sports, try on clothes when shopping, entering a cemetery, reading an uncensored fashion magazine, or buying a barbie” (http://www.theweek.co.uk/60339/eleven-things-women-in-saudi-arabia-cannot-do) . If a woman is going to be seen on the streets, they must have a male figure accompanying them at all times, or else they face possible arrestment. Women are prohibited from disobeying the Islamic Law of what women are forced to wear. In Saudi Arabia, the dress code includes an abaya, a long black cloak, and a hijab, the headscarf (The Week). According to Al Nafjan Eman’s What do Saudi Women Want, every Saudi woman has a male guardian that oversees anything the women do. At birth, the guardianship is given to the father, and upon marriage, it’s passed over to the husband (http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/910125105?accountid=13949). If the woman’s husband dies, her conservatorship is handed over to her son. He will be in charge of any decision making for her. Amélie Le Renard writes how she believes that women are categorized in a lower manner than men because it has been the ‘traditional norm’ for the past 50 years in Saudi Arabia. Women aren’t able to receive an education either due to the norm, and therefore have a low education. Sex categorizing is major problem that not only impacts Saudi Arabia, but the rest of the world as well. Women must take a stand for themselves and not let them be ruled by men(http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/218506384?accountid=13949).
Although some progress has been made by women standing up to fight for their rights, it will take some time to reach full equality. In Help or Hindrance? Religion’s Impact on Gender Inequality in Attitudes and Outcomes by Stephanie Seguino, she mentions some of the areas that still need attention. Those include, income education, economic, security, and gender related violence (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X100024820). While there are those hopeful of change, there are others that are blocked by fear in order to progress to the future.
Despite women’s attempts at fighting for equal rights, some believe that the guardianship of women should remain in place. There are countless women who are experiencing fear of change, fear that they wouldn’t know what to do if given equal rights. These women have been under men’s rule for so long that it’s the only way they know of living. For some, the fear of gaining new responsibilities is what holds them back from wanting freedom. This fear comes from the influence that America has put on these foreign countries in order for women to be granted equality. America is land of the free, and women do not have restrictions. However, these Saudi women have seen what women do in the US, and some aren’t ready to put up with those tasks yet. Al Nafjan Eman describes how women don’t want to open the door that allows [them] to run around the city doing errands all day”. Others who agree with ban are signing a campaign that requires signatures in order to call for the extension of gender segregation laws throughout Saudi Arabia’s hospitals, and would like to include malls. ((http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/910125105?accountid=13949). Not only are some people fearing change, they’re also fearing that once the gender stereotyping is over, women will become full equals, something men aren’t comfortable with either. In Abdallah M. Elamin and Katlin Omair’s Males’ Attitues Towards Working Females in Saudi Arabia, they explain the justification of gender role by saying that they are “closely connected to surrounding culture, that is, they reflect cognitive beliefs about differences between masculinity and femininity that the members of a particular culture share” (http://0-search.proquest.com.iii.sonoma.edu/docview/754152552?accountid=13949).
Case Study : Saudi Arabian Women Protest Driving Ban:
Currently, Saudi Arabia is the only country that has religious acts that ban women from driving.
An anonymous author, due to privacy reasons, wrote Chronology: Saudi Arabia, an article that described the events that unfolded after women were detained because of driving. It specifically described how because of one woman’s youtube video that was uploaded, 12,000 members were attracted to it and therefore caused more chaos. The woman was detained, and later released after international and local rights groups condemned of her arrest. This would only be the beginning of women’s protests that were to take place in Saudi Arabia.
As a result of this, on October 26, Saudi women decided to stand up, and protest their rights again by driving on the streets and posting pictures of it on social media. They created the Women’s Driving Campaign and promoted it all over youtube. Due to the attention that this campaign received, October 26 became known as the Civil Disobedience Day (Mohammed Jamjoom and Laura Smith-Spark)
(http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/). By the end of the day, authorities had stopped five women that they spotted. Instead of the police dealing with the women directly, they waited until their male guardians arrived, at which point the women were released to them, and signed a pledge that forbid them from driving ever again.
(cnn)
(http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/). Although Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry spoke out saying that their Saturday traffic was like any other day and no violations were broken, some say this was just a tactic in order to prevent women from continuing to carry out more protests. Warnings were issued the previous day about not driving, and afterwards, women reported having received threatening phone calls from the Ministry, ordering them not to drive or to face the consequences. Later on it was discovered that these phone calls were a public relations move in order to let women know what they would be getting themselves into. Mohammed Jamjoom and Laura Smith-Spark claim that even though the Ministry stated before that “it was against activities that disturb the public peace”, they see this as a contradiction statement since threatening women for getting behind the wheel falls under a disturbance. As a response to this, Amnesty International stepped in and urged Saudi Arabia not just to change their ways, but to not punish those that were campaigning as well. (http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/).
However, some women haven’t been as fortunate as the rest. Instead of allowing them to freely go and sign a pledge form, two women were arrested and taken to a terrorist court in Riyadh, to be tried for breaking a ban. In the article, Two Saudi Women Arrested for Defying Driving Ban to Be Sent to Terror Court, written by Stav Ziv, he analyzes the effects of the arrest and how it was a step too far for Saudi Arabia to take. Just like other times, a “Cairo based human rights group stepped in order to condemn the arrest, calling it unjust and excessive” (Stav Ziv). Al-Hathloul, a 25-year-old activist, and Al-Amoudi, another activist, have been taken to terror court in Riyadh, and patiently await for their judgement. The government claims that these women are being taken there because of the amount of attraction that their social media has received. Both of these women were advocates for women’s driving rights and have more than a hundred thousand followers on twitter.
Although the arrests of both of these women has received more than enough attention, “Saudi authorities are intimidating” and will therefore keep “imprisoning and silencing activists” that try to protest against the country (Stav Ziv). Politically, Saudi Arabia will continue to keep having uprisings until the government decides to change the laws.
As well as political, not only does the ban affect women, but it affects the economy as well. In order to make up for loss of business since women couldn’t come in, restaurants, and even stores started delivering to women that were stuck. Instead of waiting for their male guardian to come, women were given access to order over the phone, and have their items delivered. Because of the increase in delivery, drives started demanding an increase in their paychecks. According to Forbidden to Drive: A Saudi Woman On Life Inside the Kingdom written by Jasmine Bager, she describes that the drivers would threaten to quit if they didn’t receive the increase they wanted. Soon, unregistered drivers started popping up, and they would charge as much as they wanted. Since half the population couldn’t go out, the economy started doing what they had to do in order to have money intake.
As of recent, there are some achievements that women have accomplished in Saudi Arabia. Women are now allowed to vote. Registration opened up in August for the December elections, and women were the first in line. In Saudi suffragettes: Women register to vote for the first time in Saudi Arabia, written by Eli Watkins, he voices how although this is a step in the right direction for women, it is not enough. Women have only been granted voting rights at municipal level, not higher. This will be the first time that women have been allowed to vote since 2011, when the deceased King Abdullah gave an order that allowed women political participation. Despite of the attempt to break the inequality barrier, Saudi Arabia still enforces their religion, Salafi. Because Salafi is a conservatist religion, Saudi Arabia established the male guardianship over women. As time passes, so do the protests that keep happening in Saudi Arabia. Women will keep fighting until they receive the same rights that men do. Whether it be protesting by driving a car, or mass protests in order to overturn the government, Saudi Arabian women will stop at nothing.