Saudi Women Research Paper

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

Even though we might think that women in Iran had a hard life it’s nothing compared to what women faced in Saudia Arabia. In Saudia Arabia religion had a stronger affect on the society as a whole. If you compare Iran to todays modern Iran some women are actually happy with they way there lives are. Due to the women’s rights movement around the world and Iran women gained some rights including the right to vote in 1963. Things started to get a little better. In some Arab nations women couldn’t drive,get an education or attend college but in Iran some women drive taxi’s and can even ride one. Also 65 percent of the all universities consisted of female students.

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.

Every Saudi woman irrespective of her age has a male guardian that protect her and he is like a legal representative to her. Therefore, if she wants to travel, go to university or to get a bankcard, she have to get permission from her male guardian first. This is the reason why they are offended, but because that all the woman’s are like that, they look at it as something normal; they feel protected and not abusive, but some of them are fighting against.

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.

Jean P. Sasson wrote a true event story about a Saudi Arabian princess. It was about Sultana’s own life story and the whole book is in her point of view. To protect her identity she had to change names and obviously not explicit hers. It’s a nonfiction story of the outrage that is forced upon women throughout Saudi Arabia even today, a story that leaves readers praying for change before it is too late for the next generation of girls growing up in Saudi Arabia. This story is quite scary and very unbelievable how women around the world are being treated. Even though Arabians have a very different point of view of religion and marriage it’s really all sexist and very sad what women have to go through, no matter rich or poor.

Being born and raised in America, I and many other Americans have been taught that we live in a country of freedom. Women and men are treated equally; every human being has rights, and you have the freedom to move at will and without restrictions. Women have come a long way in our country, gaining rights ever since the dawn of patriarchy and proving that they are just as good as men with the ability to think, speak, and act for themselves. However, discrimination of women still exists in America and many other countries, but women are taking a stand and trying to eliminate the inequality between genders, such as the difference in salaries, and the bad representation of and portrayal of women in the media.

An angry god can bring about destruction and bad times to a kingdom. However, if one will follow the rules, especially through ancient Hebrew society and ancient Babylonian society, the gods will not be angry. This ultimately leads to justification of social inequality because nobody wants to disobey the gods. In Saudi Arabia today, women have much less freedom than the men. Women in Saudi Arabia cannot drive and cannot be seen uncovered. If a Saudi Arabian woman is seen uncovered, she is then captured by the Mutaween, known as the religious police, and is most likely beaten. Seeing as Saudi Arabia has a religious police force concludes that those in power in Saudi Arabia justify and even enforce social

A common misconception is that Muslim women are oppressed all around the world, but this is a fallacy created through the use of propaganda and misinformation. The so-called "oppression of women" is not a characteristic of Islam at all and to say otherwise would be out of ignorance. Reza Aslan (2015), a scholar of all religions, makes it clear that oppression of women is not related to Islam but to particular countries. A common propaganda technique is to use Saudi Arabia as the standard of Islam. This could not be further from the truth, as many Muslim countries view women equally if not beyond that. There are dozens of Muslim countries who have had more female heads of state than the US; Algeria, Turkey, Sudan, Senegal. There are a handful of Muslim countries around the world, who mention women's equal rights in their constitution, whereas the U.S is one of 32 countries who does not include an explicit gender equality guarantee (Ravitz, 2015). Using an uneducated generalization, that holds no merit, causes inconsistencies and mistaken impressions of a particular

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

Countries in the middle east claim that they are applying the Islamic guidelines as their legislation system. They take the orders from God’s book the (Quran) and what is stated in Islam. As for women, they have been promoted their rights as stated in the Quran referring to some big heads in the Islamic world. Middle eastern women around the world are considered to be pressed, oppressed and persecuted by eastern men and their religion because of how women are being treated due to their sexuality and body image that differ from men. They are

Living behind the veil may be all the women of Saudi Arabia know, some may be comfortable with it, others afraid of the consequences they will face for not wearing it. Either way they do not have much of a choice since they are constantly chaperoned around by a male guardian know as a “mahram”, according to theweek.co.uk 4 “The guardian is often a male relative and will accompany women on all their errands, including trips and visits to the doctor”. Can you imagine having to go

Women cannot even leave the house without being questioned or beaten. They have to be with a male family member. They cannot wear whatever they like, and they are forced to wear hijabs. They are treated like third class citizens, and in The Islamic State’s eyes, women are third class citizens. They have no rights, whatsoever.

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.