Argument Essay Outline

4. Cross out "Some may disagree with me because." What remains is your purpose for writing.

Westerners often hear of how oppressed women are in Saudi Arabia. As a result, one might expect these women to be vocal about their challenges living in such a country. However, contrary to the assumption that they are unhappy, they are quick to defend their country, saying that their often overbearing abayas are parts of their tradition. These women say that they still enjoy freedoms and that “[i]t is Western women… who have been manipulated into becoming the toys of men” (Kristof 272). Even so, they still receive unequal treatment from men. Saudi women journalists must stay in their own rooms when they work while men do not. Because of these types of segregated and deleterious practices, Nicholas Kristof argues in his essay “Saudis in Bikinis” that the West is not being paternalistic in trying to advocate for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia; they are trying to free women who have never tasted true liberty. It is

One Saudi woman, Lana, criticizes American women for displaying their bodies in public, debating that women in Saudi Arabia are free rather than the women in Western Civilization. Lana disparaged Western culture by asking “Why should I show my legs and breasts to men? Is that really freedom?'' This becomes a trend for the answers Kristof had gathered that Saudi women believe they are the ones “free from sexual harassment, free from pornography, free from seeing their bodies used to market cars and colas. It is Western women, they say, who have been manipulated into becoming the toys of men,” demonstrating how Saudi women defend their traditions and essentially attack what is foreign to their

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.

In the United States in 2016, women were paid 80 percent of what men were paid (Kevin Miller, The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap). Women are still treated as second hand to men to this day, but we have come a far way since the sixteenth century European women. Women can go to school, work, and have lives in the United States. In other countries and cultures, however, women still have a long fight ahead of them. In Saudi Arabia, women were just recently granted the ability to drive (Nicole Gaouette and Elise Labott, CNN). This is a huge stepping stone for women in Saudi Arabia and many more countries. The guardianship rule in Saudi Arabia is still ongoing, stating that women cannot make any decision without a man or young boy telling her yes or no. Women have no freedom for making their own choices, but their chains will soon be loosened through newly imprinted laws. Just like in the home, European women and Native American women vary greatly in societal structure and cultures.

Accustomed to stereotypical depictions, Westerners are told that Middle Eastern women are passive, weak, and always veiled. It is often assumed that the severe conditions in Saudi Arabia—where women are not even allowed to drive cars—represent the norm for women throughout the Middle East and in the larger Muslim world. In reality, Saudi Arabia’s versions of both Islam and sexism are rather unique in their severities, although the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan is now emulating the sexist Saudi model. Women enjoy political and social rights in many Muslim countries, and Egypt has recently granted women the right to divorce their husbands. In Tunisia, abortion is legal, and polygamy is prohibited. Women have served as ministers in the Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Iraqi, and Tunisian governments, and as Vice President in Iran.

In “News Coverage of a Woman’s Rights Campaign,” Saudi women are driving even though it is against the law and they could be thrown in jail. The women consider driving as a right that they should have. Mrs. Qahtani said, “I woke up believing with every part of me that this is my right, I woke up believing this is my duty, and I was no longer afraid,” (Collections 123 lines 19-20). Since men in Saudi Arabia can drive, they don’t understand what the women are going though. “Women in Saudi Arabia see other women in the Middle East making revolutions, women in Yemen and Egypt at the forefront of revolutions, being so bold, toppling over entire governments… The women of Saudi Arabia looked at themselves and they realized, ‘Wow! We can’t even drive,” (Collections 124 lines 43-49). The Saudi women want to make a revolution, they want to be able to do what the men can

Only 18% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia consists of females, compared to 48% in Canada. For the 18% of females that do work, they are forced to work in certain shops, such as female clothing stores, where men aren’t allowed to go in. Also, the work they do can’t interfere with their housework, meaning that if their mahram see’s it is interfering, or he doesn’t approve of the job, he can stop the women from going to the job. Women are not allowed to work side by side with men, making it very difficult for them to get a job that they want, that they can manage with their time

And as I grew older, I began to see how differently I would’ve grown had we chosen to stay there. Everything about me would be different in Saudi Arabia, and I see glimpses of that other self when I visit from time to time. Social life is organized immensely differently than in America, and because Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state, Islamic law is embedded into the culture and gender norms are emphasized in all aspects of everyday life. In Saudi Arabia, I must wear a full length Abaya that covers all parts of me but my eyes. I would not be allowed to drive. I would have to be

The women of Saudi Arabia have been oppressed by the men of the country for generations due to the ignorance of the people, their Islamic faith, and the government. They have no rights and they must receive permission from their husbands or fathers to work, travel, and receive medical attention. The memoir Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson, is an excellent example of the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and the literary devices of characterization and setting help to bring the oppression to life.

Women have faced many obstacles in their struggle to gain their rights all around the world and the biggest difficulties are the social and cultural factors, and some aspects of law. To start with the legal obstacles that deprives women of simple rights without any rational explanation. This fact is only found in our Arabian societies. For example, women who marry a foreigner in our country cannot pass on their nationality to their children, whereas men in that situation can. Another obstacle that increases the discrimination is the cultural and social restrictions. In most Arabian countries women are free to choose what to wear, and can choose their jobs and education. And the law does not require them to wear any particular form of clothing.

“Now more than ever Islamic fundamentalist thought is dictating limitations to [women’s] social development, as a wave of sociopolitical conservatism spreads all over the Arab world.” This sentence sums up the main idea of May Seikaly’s article. The author, a professor of Modern Middle Eastern history with a focus in oral tradition, theorizes that Islamic tradition has hindered the advancement of women in society. In introducing her argument, she provides readers with a background of Bahrain’s modernization, beginning with the discovery of oil in Bahrain. Her theory is argued with supporting evidence, but it seems to focus almost specifically on Islamic tradition, rather than other possible factors influencing changes in society.

The diversities within North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia (cultural, religious, political, etc.) play a crucial part in the status of women and the key features of gender roles in these particular geographic regions. The Middle East and North Africa share commonalities through Arabic and Islamic culture. Establishing equalities for women amongst the current social and political changes of Middle Eastern and North African societies stands as a difficult obstacle to overcome, but in spite of this, women’s rights efforts are still being made. While Islamic culture is dominant in Southeast Asia, the culture of Southeast Asian nations is diverse. Islam and gender in Southeast Asia have contributed to the continuing debate over Islam, feminism, and gender rights in the region. The cultures of North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia are male dominated, but this cultural dominance might not sustain in the future. This essay will compare and contrast the current status of women and the key features of gender roles in North Africa and the Middle East with those of Southwest Asia. Examples will also be provided to justify any arguments that are made.

According to his model, Hofstede classed KSA on a scale of about 80 on the power distance index (Mead and Andrews, 2009, p.37). Saudi Arabia can also be assumed to be a county with a high uncertainty avoidance index. Conflict and competition is usually avoided (Mead and Andrews, 2009). The slow-paced introduction of westernization into the culture reveals how the society is resistant to change, the thought of which places undue anxiety and stress on the members of its community. The attachment to family ties is a manifestation of its collectivistic approach in the culture of the Saudis. The social identity is derived from a group membership he/she shares. Loyalty to one’s family members supersedes that of the individual; family involvement in personal life is usually not seen as being invasive or interfering (Anon, 2008). Hofstede scores the Saudis as having about 40 on the individualistic dimension (Mead and Andrews, 2009). Since this dimension expresses independence, a low score would mean a higher tendency towards collectivism. Even though the culture of the Saudis emphasizes hierarchy and autocracy, their mode of conflict resolution is compromise. The Saudi Arabians believe in relationship building and on solidarity (Anon, 2008), and thus characteristic of the feministic cultures. However, a masculinity feature is also observed amongst its members of the society. Sex roles are not equally distributed as it is expected that females who ought to be gentle,

In discussing the role of women in contemporary society there are three main areas that can be addressed. The perceptions of woman within contemporary Muslim societies. The status, position and role of woman in the Qur'an and in early Islam