Daily Life in Saudi Arabia Essay

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

Firstly, gender discrimination is not an exclusive feature of Saudi Arabia, but it is a more outwardly visible problem there. Gender

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.

The men in Saudi Arabia have more rights and power than the women. Men are the ones who have the most influence and the women are the ones who must listen to what the man says. Of course, this is different from man to man but mostly they are all like that.

In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is the largest arid country (Al-Ibrahim, 1991). The country covers some 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula (Al-Hamzi, 1992). The area of Saudi Arabia is 2.25 million square kilometers, equivalent (1.4) million square miles (Batayneh, 2012). The total number population in Saudi Arabia is 25.7 million (Al-Shayaa et al., 2012). Saudi Arabia climate is broiling in the summer and chilly in the winter, and Saudi Arabia does not have well-defined season. In addition, Saudi Arabia is waterless country, and it does not have rivers or lakes (Al-Shayaa et al., 2012).

Women are denied many basic human rights, along with the ability to partake in many activities that us as Westerners would consider to be rights, simply because of their gender. The most infamous example is Saudi’s ban on women driving cars. This takes away a woman’s independence and therefore makes her further dependent on males. The stratification doesn’t stop there however; the enrollment in academic institutions is strictly contingent on the approval of the male guardians. This means women can be denied the basic right to an education if their male guardian so chooses, with no ability to protest. Women are then further marginalized in the work force. According to the Saudi labor code, “women shall work in all fields suitable to their nature.” Although this law is vague in terms of what these fields are, it is clear that this piece of legislation further restricts women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. Women also have severe restrictions on their legal rights. Females in Saudi Arabia must be granted permission from their male guardian in order to sue or take a case to court. This makes it virtually impossible to prevent domestic abuse, as the perpetrator is the one who must grant permission to get the legal procedures started. This puts women at a seriously compromised and defensively position creating further stratification between males and

When we look back through history you will find a timeline of events showing exactly when women gained certain rights and for what. Most of these events occurred in the late 1800’s and all throughout the 1900’s. Since 2000 the women of Saudi Arabia have gained 9 new rights even being as small as being able to have an ID.Ever since the rule of King Fahd the rights of women in Saudi Arabia have been growing, although some of the rights might seem little but

Saudi Arabian women don’t have any privacy while they are out and about with their lives. They all must have a guardian with them at all times. For example, if a women wants to go out in public, she must be escorted by a driver because Arabian women aren’t allowed to drive. She also has to have a guardian with her where ever she goes. A grown women who is able to take care of herself doesn’t need to be chauffeur around 24/7. It’s not possible for a women to be independent with all the rules and laws that they are required to obey. In a piece “Under the Abaya” by an “American Girl” who lived in Saudi Arabia says, “In Saudi Arabia, women, regardless of age, are or marital status are required to have a male guardian. A woman cannot

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

First off women in Saudi Arabia face Discrimination from everyone, even the country's highest religious authority its Grand Mutifi, who said that women's involvement in politics would be like “ Opening the door to evil”. In addition the Grand Mutifi also stated that it would be a “dangerous matter” when asked what he thought about women gaining the right to drive driving (Source 1). In my opinion the religious leaders are the ones most responsible for the discrimination of women in Saudi Arabia. In, fact I believe that they are more responsible than the top government officials because of the fact that in many aspects the religious leaders have more power than the majority of government officials. However the political leaders don't get a break

women of Saudi Arabia are limited in their whereabouts. Kristof indicates that women in Saudi

Education remains to be the priority of all nations around the globe. Most countries devote vast resources to guarantee equal education opportunities to all their students. Most education systems are developed to meet the economic and social demands of the country, both locally and globally. As the world’s 8th highest education spender, Saudi Arabia initiates an overhaul on the education system. It is the largest country in the Middle East. The Saudi Arabian education has gone through an astounding transformation. Initially, education was only available to few people who were children of the wealthy families. However, the transformation of the Saudi Education is now offering education to all children regardless of their social status.

     In the heart of the Middle East is a country known by many Westerners for its oil production and, often, extremist beliefs of groups within the country. The country is Saudi Arabia, and though it is thought of by many as a rather backward country, Saudi Arabia has a rich history and culture, and it is a country that revolves around Islam and the worship of Allah as the one true God.

UAE is located at the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Arabian Gulf sometimes referred to as Persian Gulf, bordering Oman , and Saudi Arabia to the south, sharing sea borders with Qatar and Iran (CIA World Factbook). The population is estimated to be 9.446 million and consists of 1.4 million Emirati citizens and 7.8 million expatriates, majority of whom came from India, Pakistan, Philippines and other Arab countries. It was established in 1971 as a federation of seven emirates (states). Each emirate is governed by a monarch; together, along with some elected representatives, they form the Federal Supreme Council – legislative organ. One of the monarchs is selected as the President of the United Arab Emirates.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has committed vast resources by allocating more than 13 percent of its annual budget in improving the Kingdom’s medical care system, with the ultimate goal of providing free medical care for everyone. This commitment has been translated to more than 330 hospitals operated by the government and the private sector, with a capacity of more than 50,000 beds. Of these hospitals, 184 are run by the government, with more than 16 thousand doctors, 40 thousand nurses, and more than 25 thousand assistant nurses according to the Ministry of Health (2003). Based on these figures and the Saudi population of 20 million people, to satisfy and maintain the current health care standard, one out of every