Saudi Arabia just recently made the decision that granted women the right to vote, as well as run for public office. This is something that many view as a great victory, but there are many who fear the backlash from conservatives. The law has been introduced by stating that anyone over the age of 21 can partake in voting. This means they do not explicitly say women are allowed to vote, but there is no formal clause excluding them from voting (Khazan, 2013). King Abdullah began making reforms in 2009 in terms of women’s suffrage, which has created a lot of split commentary among the people (Khazan, 2013).
Women are currently unable to drive, and are most often not allowed to travel or take public transportation alone. Women began protesting this more recently, but most efforts have been shut down. This includes a website promoting women’s right to drive getting completely taken off the internet (Khazan, 2013). Women are traditionally expected to have the consent of their guardian (usually husband, or father) to determine if they are allowed to leave the house, for work, school, travel etc. While some women are actively trying to protest for their rights, many are still reluctant for change.
In response to these suffragettes, a woman started a counter-movement called “My Guardian Knows What’s Best for Me” (Khazan, 2013). Her aim was to reject the movement for women’s suffrage, and promote the ideas that the guardianship laws exist for a reason, and that women who do not want that are partaking in “unacceptable behaviors” (Khazan, 2013). The rejection stems from a more traditionalist view in Saudi Arabia. The separation of men and women has been a trademark of their culture, and according to some, is what makes them superior to other cultures. Attached I have an excerpt from a 2007 Gallup poll, where men and women were asked their opinion on women’s suffrage issues.
It seems as though the nation is pretty divided on these issues. As a westerner myself, I find it difficult to believe that in present day these would still be issues needing to be discussed. Although, there is plenty I would be unable to understand, since I am not a woman in Saudi Arabia, I do not know the history or traditions involved in these laws. I think that personally it is difficult for me to remember, specifically in cases like these, that just because a culture is heavily different from what I know, does not mean that either culture is right or wrong.
Khazan, O. (2013, October 07). ‘Negative Physiological Impacts’? Why Saudi Women Aren’t Allowed to Drive.
Gallup (2007, December 21). Saudi Arabia: Majorities Support Women’s Rights. Retrieved October 03, 2017
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences (9th ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Naomi,
I found your post very intriguing, and I definitely agree that it is very hard to understand and imagine living within a culture that is so different from our own in the Western world, especially as a woman. It seems as though Saudi Arabia is indeed making some progress in terms of women’s rights in their culture, which is definitely a big deal. From the information and table you provided from the 2007 Gallup poll, I was actually surprised at how high some of the percentages were for the men’s statistics. I was expecting them to be lower, but from the percentages provided, it seems as though the men of Saudi Arabia are completely split down the middle regarding their views on some of the issues regarding women’s rights. This is something that is not totally foreign to our culture, as there are many issues that people of our country seem to continually have opinions that are split down the middle. For example, an article from Gallup News by Lydia Saad states “Americans generally agree about the morality of 12 out of 16 behaviors or social policies that sometimes spark public controversy, with sizable majorities saying each is either ‘morally acceptable’ or ‘morally wrong.’ By contrast, views on doctor-assisted suicide, gay and lesbian relations, abortion, and having a baby outside of marriage are closely divided–the percentage supporting and the percentage opposing are wishing 15 points of each other.” These four issues mentioned by Saad are divided in the way that men in Saudi Arabia are divided on the issue of various women’s rights. I am curious, do you think there are other similarities within the Saudi Arabian culture and our own that are not obvious until we further investigate as you did here in your blog post?
Reference:
Saad, L. (2010, May 26). Four Moral Issues Sharply Divide Americans. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from http://news.gallup.com/poll/137357/four-moral-issues-sharply-divide-americans.aspx
Naomi-
I think your post hits directly on the point of this class. Do a web search for news on “Women in Saudia Arabia”, and a majority of the articles applaud Saudi Arabia for FINALLY giving women the right to drive. Not expressed is some women’s disapproval of the lifted ban.
Behind the ban to drive is that women are to be escorted by a male family member, and thus they have no reason to drive (BBC, 2017). This is a part of the idea that Islam is not just a religion, but a way of life (|Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014). Some still stick to that lifestyle.
It’s understandable, just like in the US, not everyone is for the Black Lives Matter, or the reforms of President Trump. In the same way, not all Saudi Arabians are in favor of lifting the ban on driving for women. When doing business in a country, you wouldn’t want to enter a room and congratulate a Saudi woman on gaining the ability to drive any more than you would want to walk into a boardroom and discuss a Black Lives Matter protest with a black man or woman.
I really appreciated that you brought to light both sides of this coin. As westerners, we see the women as suffering because they don’t live the same way we do when in reality, some of them may not see it the same way. This is why it’s so important to learn about a culture you may be working with in order to avoid potentially offending someone.
Thank you for bringing this issue up!
References:
BBC (2017) Saudi Arabia: Why Weren’t Women Allowed to Drive? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41412980
Moran, R., Abramson, N., & Moran, S. (2014) Managing Cultural Differences. New York, NY: Routledge
Thank you for your response avs5189.
I also felt like including the opposing article of “My Guardian Knows What’s Best for Me” acted as a bit of a wake up call for me that maybe not all of the women wanted things to change. Being in the United States, thinking that a woman would want their husband or father to act as the final say for what they were allowed to do would just be absurd, but that is exactly the point of why it is so crucial to understand the difference between cultures. Not only between cultures, but within cultures too, which accounts for the women of Saudi Arabia who do want to drive and become more independent in the work force. While this is shocking information, the United States is not too far off. I do appreciate that you say that as a citizen you are very much so protected through the constitution. Recently, there have been many conversations about regulating women’s health benefits in the United States. Just this weekend Donald Trump has made it easier for companies to refuse health insurance covering women’s birth control. An article on NBC’s website titled “Trump Just Made It Easier for Employers to Refuse to Pay for Birth Control”, they explain how birth control coverage actually saves the business money in the long run, because it reduces the pregnancy related costs they would otherwise have to offer. My point of bringing this up in terms of this conversation, is that even with the multitude of differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia, there are still many things that separate women from men in both cultures. Birth control have a numerous amount of health benefits for women, as well as prevent unplanned pregnancy, but is simply reduced to an abstinence is key agenda as a way to justify getting rid of it. Meanwhile, the male sex preformance drug viagra has not been targeted by the political party. It seems that questions of what women should or should not be allowed to do with their body have found their way into a major part of politics, with most arguments being widely faith based. In a country that is supposed to have a separation of Church and State, it seems like we are being more closely ruled by religion.
Fox, M. (2017, October 7th). “Trump Just Made It Easier for Employers to Refuse to Pay for Birth Control”. NBC
Naomi, thank you for the informative post. You also included an opposing opinion, “My Guardian Knows What ’s Best for Me.” The GALLUP POLL statistics show how much different man and women in Saudi Arabia think about women’s rights. It will be interesting if the survey is completed in the U.S.A. and other countries. The most significant gender gap was 14 points, in the question that asked if the woman should be able to hold a leadership position in the cabinet and the national conceal. The women’s low agreement, 66%, was shocking for me. I had to remind myself for that, not every Arabian woman agrees with emancipation. However, I do accept and respect their choice. At the same time, I’m thinking about the remaining 44% and wish them carriage to fulfill their dreams. The man’s response to the leadership position question indicated 52% of agreement. Fram the statistics differently, almost half of the male population don’t believe women should hold a higher leadership position. The gender gap point was also high, 12 when the survey asked about equal legal rights. 79% of the Arabian women and 67% of the Arabian man think women and man should have equal legal rights. I have a strong opposing viewpoint. Even though I did not born in the U.S.A., but a citizen, I’m thinking about my rights that is testified in the Declaration of Independence.
References
Hubbard, B. (2017, September 26). Saudi Arabia agrees to let women drive. Retrieved October 7, 2017, from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-women-drive.html
Naomi, great post about how far some countries still have to go to ensure equality. There is some hope though, Saudi Arabia HAS allowed women to drive. It was announced in late September and will take full effect in June of 2018 (Hubbard, 2017). It is also hoped that once women start driving, they will become a larger part of the workforce. Culturally, it is a region of the world that many are unfamiliar with and have difficulties understanding the religious-based laws. Unfortunately, for those affected, when laws are grounded in Divine intervention, they are almost impossible to change or adapt since doing so could be considered offensive to God. The Gallup Poll you cited shows some light at the end of the tunnel. In each issue, there is a majority of men and women who think along the same lines, which should bolster the women’s movement for equality. The one issue that has the smallest male support already has been eradicated: women driving. This might be the watershed moment for the rights of women in that country.
References
Hubbard, B. (2017, September 26). Saudi Arabia agrees to let women drive. Retrieved October 5, 2017, from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-women-drive.html