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Women Rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Obstacles and Solutions

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has come under criticism from foreign countries over its lackluster involvement in strengthening the role of women in the society. Nevertheless, by promoting women into positions of power and issuing licenses to practice law to qualified women for the first time, it can be argued that, Saudi Arabia is indeed making progress on women rights issues and protection policies. Based on the review of several literatures, this report asserts that that the ban on women driving has gone down as one of the most enormous obstacles women in Saudi Arabia still face and in the process; they have to do with it every day. Moreover, this report goes ahead to explain that, social, legislative, occupational and educational constraints prevent women from participating in some of the economic development activities in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, based on this report, overcoming these challenges will be one of the most essential elements and this can be achieved if Saudi Arabia is able to introduce sweeping legal reforms that would ensure that women in Saudi Arabia take a serious role in contributing to the welfare and economic development of their country.

Key Words

Legal reforms: The various modifications and changes a government does to the constitution to enhance the livelihood of the citizens

Women’s Rights: are the universal fundamental human rights that enhance women’s freedom in the society without necessary facing hindrances from other societal forces

Economy empowerment: The activity of enhancing the role of social members in developing the economy of the country

International Relations: The relationship a country has with foreign governments and investors.

Introduction

Attention Getter: Women Rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Obstacles and Solutions

Thesis Statement: Legal and social reforms in the country have provided solutions to the previous suppression of women’s rights in the country.

Background Information

The role assigned to women in Saudi Arabia has been scrutinized heavily because of the suppression of their own rights by the Islam law and the society at large. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has as well been criticized heavily by other foreign countries in its weak involvement in strengthening the role of women in the society (Saqib, Aggarwal, & Rashid, 2016). Over the years in Saudi Arabia, women have gone through a lot of mistreatment and marginalization caused by their male counterparts. As a result, very few women are willing to take part in issues revolving around economic development in Saudi Arabia as well as working in domains associated with the state or rather public domains. Nevertheless, recent government regulations and legal reforms have played a very crucial role in revolutionizing the role of women in Saudi Arabia (Al-Ahmadi, 2011). In other words, Saudi Arabia has strengthened the rights of women in the society in manner that has played a vital role in making sure that women contribute to both economic and social reshuffling of Saudi Arabia. In so doing, social and legal reforms in the country have offered solutions to previous challenges regarding rights of women in Saudi Arabia (Saleh, 2014). However, one sure thing revolves around the fact that women make up to only sixteen percent of the entire national workforce, which can be argued to represent a very huge source of untapped potential for Saudi Arabia.

In simple terms, political, law, and labor reforms including legislation that is able to promote the aspect of gender equality should as well be taken into consideration and implemented if the issue of discrimination facing Saudi Women has to be effectively dealt with. As a result, this research report explores the rights of Women in the Saudi Arabia Kingdom. In this case, some of the obstacles to women rights are explored coupled with some suggestions on how a solution to these challenges can be established. Therefore, based on the current situation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it can be argued that legal and social reforms in the country have provided some solutions to the previous suppression of women’s rights in the country. Nevertheless, much more needs to done to ensure the rights of Women in the Saudi Arabia Kingdom is at par with other semi-developed countries.

Legal Reforms Offer a Solution to Suppression of Women Rights

It is now acknowledged that the Saudi Arabian government has of recent established some new legal policies that have tried as much as possible to abolish the suppressive laws towards women. In so doing, it has allowed so many women in the society to enjoy so many privileges in the society through the reformed legal structure. (Qureshi, 2014).Additionally, the Saudi Arabian kingdom is a monarchy type of governance that is under the rulership of the Al Saud family. Moreover, since the year 2005, the Saudi Arabian king, Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has governed the country using the principle doctrines formulated under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques”. In other words, most of the laws in the Saudi Arabian kingdom are based on the doctrines of the 1992 basic law and the Islamic doctrines (Le Renard, 2014). Therefore, the government of Saudi Arabia is believed to impose and advocate for sex segregation in totality. As much as the policy may not be viewed as discriminatory when analyzed from its face value because of the fact that it targets both men and women, it can be argued that, in reality, it prevents the Saudi Women from engaging in any important public activities such as serving in leadership positions.

To help solve the sex segregation issues, the government introduced a commission that is under the management and control of the religious police. This commission is supposed to help promote Virtue and prevent vice. In the process, the commission assists in implementing and monitoring sex segregation in all places of work apart from hospitals and a few other public places (Saqib, Aggarwal, & Rashid, 2016). In fact, the religious police have the authority to apprehend those individuals within Saudi Arabia who do not obey the laws of the land.

Article 22 of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom constitution asserts that the social and economic development in the country shall be realized based on a systematic and fair planning process (Welsh, et al., 2014). In this case, the marginalization that the Saudi women had been experiencing to the level in which they are being excluded from the workforce has been dealt with by the Act. However, as much as women are now experiencing some rights in regard to economic principles, it can be argued that this is only the case in some of the Saudi Arabian kingdom big cities, and therefore women's rights is still a major challenge.

Despite making legislative progress the rights of Women, foreign nations have not relented on pressuring the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to stop its other suppressive laws and in the process grant women a chance to exercise their rights in their society. Additionally, a cording to a UNESCO conference, it was recognized that in order for the Saudi Government to move forward, it must establish a strategy that will offer free education to all of the country’s citizens without discriminating against anyone (Zamberi Ahmad, 2011). In this case, they should make education a compulsory need for any child between ages six and fifteen. In fact, the latest statistics taken from UNESCO indicate the fact that the Saudi government is slowly moving towards realizing the goal of universal primary education (Zamberi Ahmad, 2011). In fact, the research outcome indicated that the net increase in the enrollment of children in schools was positive. Additionally, UNESCO advocated for the world’s largest University for Women to be built in Saudi Arabia and the plans are underway (Al-Ahmadi et al., 2011).

Across the international scene, there is no topic or rather sector in regards to the Saudi Arabian kingdom that has received much attention and discussion as compared to the women sector coupled with their overall responsibility in the development process. In fact, issues revolving around the rights of women and responsibilities in economic development have as well received controversial arguments in from both the progressives and conservatives in the Saudi Kingdom. As of recent , Saudi Arabia’s women can take part in economic development programs and take part in public gatherings because of the legal requirements and international pressure the country has received towards human rights (Zamberi Ahmad, 2011).. In essence, because of the international pressure the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been receiving, it has instituted legal laws in the last couple of years regarding the greater responsibility that women possess in the economy and the society as well. Specifically, it is the increasing criticism that the Saudi government has been receiving from Human Rights Watch and other international organizations that propelled it into accepting the changing role of women in the society. However, it can be asserted that the Saudi Arabian Government is ready to take on any obstacles and challenges that have prevented them from appreciating the role of women in the society (Al-Ahmadi et al., 2011).

Its is therefore important to note that although Saudi Arabia is still under criticism from foreign countries over its lackluster involvement in strengthening the role of women in the society the country is taking the necessary steps to ensure that Women are able to participate fully in economic development of the country. This will take time males in the country have subjected women to marginalization and mistreatment for a very long time and thus this ia culture that can only change after a period of time. This suppression has led to low numbers of women taking part in economic development programs as well as working in public domains (Zamberi Ahmad, 2011). Nonetheless, recent legal reforms have revolutionized the role of women in the society. Through these legal reforms, the country has strengthened the rights of women, which in effect has contributed to both social and economic reshuffling in Saudi Arabia.

Women’s Rights Have Led To Reshuffled Saudi Arabian Community

Due to legal reforms, women have the right to take part in other roles rather than depending on men for daily bread. Women are now involved in public sphere jobs, which were a reserved for men and this is an upgrade from the previous status of women in the society (Almansour & Kempner, 2016). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s social setting has changed tremendously because of the legal reforms instituted by its government. As of recent, most women take part in the economic and social development of the country, which is backed by the growing statistic that most of the entrepreneurial individuals in Saudi Arabia are women.

In the Saudi Arabia kingdom society, it can be asserted that the women’s role was fundamental to maintaining the family structure and in the process, of the whole society. In essence, the deeply complex and embedded nature of gender inequality as far as the society is concerned should as well be taken into consideration (Butler, 2015). Moreover, the policy of seclusion of Muslim women of Arab descent is not a recent phenomenon. In this case, the employment and acceptance of Qur’an as the sole religious interpretation can therefore be acknowledged to be the source of the women’s problem as this religious interpretation promoted the male authority. However, as of recent, religious ideology has evolved and has become a weapon for most of the Saudi women who have dedicated themselves in comprehending and learning in-depth the Islamic religion and in the process; they tend to apply it to the issues of women.

According to an article by (Alshaghdali, Greener, & Loveless, 2014) it is argued that in the digital age, it is important to acknowledge all the positive changes towards education that technology has brought to the women of Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, the article posits that the quality of the learning experience of women in the digital age in Saudi Arabia is behind the world levels. This is basically contributed by the suppression of women’s rights in the country. Besides, the authors imply that the digital age has not been well developed in Saudi Arabia; thus, limiting women’s exposure to technological learning. Furthermore, the authors argue that allowing women to gain more education by abolishing some religious marginalization of females can enhance the quality of digital education in the country. In simple terms, this article emphasizes how technology is contributing to the changing role of women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the need to do more to improve the learning experience of women.

It is indeed universally argued that the Islamic religion itself based on proper interpretation is one of the few elements in Saudi Arabia that promotes the creation of social justice (Hamdan, 2005). Additionally, the transformation of women can also be attributed to the fact that they are as of recent empowered and in the process, through the awareness of their dignity they take incremental and individual steps towards equality and a new status position in the society. Moreover, the provisions stipulated by the government in and other equality instruments offer content to the rising calls for women empowerment, respect and equal treatment.

Women’s Rights Still Face More Conservative Challenges

Some men are not ready to allow women to have more privileges because they still believe in the doctrines embedded in the Islamic law about women submission. Additionally, women are still fearful of their husbands, which makes them suffer in silence due to lack of experience and education that can enhance personal growth strategies (Almansour & Kempner, 2016). In other words, there are women who still undergo Islamic education and believe in the norms of the Islamic religion so much that they tend to forget about their rights as women. The Saudi Arabian Islamic law still forbids divorce; hence, women undergoing the process are referred as outcasts (Welsh et al., 2014)

Despite their higher education status and economic dependence in the society, Women in Saudi Arabia are treated mainly as minors in the society. In this case, they are not allowed to travel across the borders, drive, not recognized as voters (Alshaghdali, Greener & Loveless, 2014). Some of the way in which this situation can be explained lies in the successful propagation of the Saudi, women-centered, post development version of Islamic religion coupled with the lack of freedom and rights to express themselves about it. For instance, organizations who want to talk expressively about the women situation needs to be licensed by the government and very limited number of advocacy groups are permitted within Saudi Arabia (Afifi et al., 2011).

Butler, (2015) in his article highlights some of the social issues that affect women rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Accordingly, he underscores domestic and gendered violence as one of the main reasons that contribute towards suppression of women’s rights. Male have a right to discipline and punish their wives without legal or religious question in the country. Hence, in this case, this can be acknowledged as one of the prevalent obstacle to realization of human rights among women in Saudi Arabia (Butler, 2015). Nevertheless, Butler posits that with the changing times, the country has addressed domestic violence by enacting stringent laws against abuse of women. This solution to the long-standing domestic violence actions that degraded the position of women in the society can enforce the women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

According to an article by Almansour & Kempner (2016), the authors highlight some of the cultural and religious issues that hinder women in Saudi Arabia from undertaking public jobs. Moreover, the authors contend that women have been marginalized by religious and cultural inclinations that have been propagated by the society. Thus, women are barred from acquiring the level of experience and knowledge that can enhance their duties in the public sphere.

Another notable issue that is evident is the fact that the threat of arrest silences those reformers who would represent the rights of women in Saudi Arabia (Al-Ahmadi et al., 2011). This in effect possesses a challenge to the push for women rights. Moreover, the political culture of the country, interconnected as it is to the regime legitimacy, requires genuflection of everything in the direction of the Islamic religion. This is in the sense that, before an individual is able to address the regulatory systems and the laws, they must profess religious norms and values in the brief summary of the context of discussion that apparently backs the regulatory systems doctrines. For instance, an individual must first agree to the religious values that men possess the power to control their women before going ahead to point out the flaws in the context of discussion. This in effect creates a challenge to the fight for the rights of women.

Conclusion

Legal and social reforms in the country have provided solutions to the previous suppression of women’s rights in the country. Women are now involved in more national matters, as most young girls have access to education. Divorced women can shake off the ‘outcasts’ tag by forming support groups that encourage independent economic growth. Additionally, the country has enforced new legal policies that led to abolishment of former suppressive laws towards women. Hence, women can access more privileges through the reformed legal structure. The country’s social setting has changed due to the legal reforms instituted by the government. Today, women take part in economic development programs. In fact, divorced women can form social networking groups and discuss personal development plans.

However, despite the efforts to enhance women’s rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the country still fails to recognize advanced roles women take in the society. In this case, some men are still reluctant to allow their women to participate in matters of national interest since they are still upholding the traditional Islamic religion doctrines. In fact, despite the numerous attempts to pressurize the government of Saudi Arabia as far as the women’s rights are concerned, it can be argued that the society needs more enlightening in order to adopt the legal reforms in the country. Therefore, measures should continue being established in order to help the women in Australia to realize their social, economic and political rights in the kingdom of Australia. In simple terms, there is still more work to be done in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure that the women rights are upheld in the society.

References

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