Andrew and Einer

Objective To investigate the status of women in Saudi Arabia.

Culture The most visible symbol is the difference in clothing and dress. The Qur’an instructs all Muslims, men and women, to dress in a modest way. In most Islamic countries, gijab implies using loose clothing to cover all parts of the body except for the face, feet and hands when in public. (This is one of the reasons why women can’t drive). In recent years, hijab has become a symbol of Muslim identity and morality. Hijab is a source of pride and distinctiveness for many Muslims, while for many Westerners it is a symbol of gender oppression.

Education Women can only be educated in segregated single gender schools. Approximately 71% to 78% of females are literate, in comparison to 85% literacy rates in males. There are more women being educated on the secondary and tertiary sectors than men. 50% of working women have a college education, compared to 16 percent of working men. Men tend to work on manual labour jobs.

Status Women have a very low status in society. They are treated as slaves. They face severe restrictions in their working and personal lives. Women were not allowed to drive cars Women were only allowed to go out when accompanied by a male relative.

Family size Under the Saudi law a male relative is allowed to kill his relative for offences such as premarital and extra marital sex. The average number of people per house is 5.84 (2010) One man can have as many as 4 wives.

Employment Girls are taught that their primary role is to raise children and take care of the household. According to Saudi culture, a woman's place is at home and a man's place is at the workplace. Saudi sharia (Islamic law) allows women to work, provided it does not lead to her neglecting her essential duties of homemaking. Women may also work if it is necessary for their support, such as a widow with children. The percentage of women working in Saudi Arabia is below 22 percent, compared to the average 40 percent in the Middle East and 43 percent worldwide. (est. 2012)

Legal rights Basically women have no rights They have to be guided by a male guardian either a father or husband as long as he is a relative. The male guardian has all rights to command the woman (she can’t do anything rash without his permission). However just last year September 25, 2011 women were given the right to vote and run in elections. Also recently women were allowed to join the olympics such as the London 2012.

Health 73.9 years life expectancy Most women were not allowed to have basic medication in hospitals, therefore if they were sick they would be sick till they die.

Sex, violence and trafficking As said earlier women are treated as slaves. Under the sharia law the government will punish a rapist with anything from flogging or execution. The rape victim will also be punished, if she had entered the rapist’s company in violation of purdah. (which is exposing themselves in front of men) However most rape cases are unreported.

Migration The majority of women migrants in Saudi Arabia are from Indonesia and the philippines. They generally make more money in Saudi Arabia than their home countries because of the growing economy. The exact numbers of women migrating to Saudi Arabia are unknown due to people entering the country illegally.