Saudi women: An Arab nation’s path to progress

By Ashna Butani

Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world that deprived its women of the right to drive. On Tuesday, 26th September, King Salman issued a royal decree, allowing women to obtain driver’s licenses. This presents an opportunity for the emancipation of Saudi women.

In a bygone era, powerful Saudi tribe women would sit on camels and drive their own fate, leading men into war, as and when required. But for the last few centuries, Saudi Arabia became one of the world’s worst places for a woman to live. As one of the world’s most gender-segregated nations, Saudi did not allow its women to drive.

For several years, women activists have been fighting for their right to drive in the region. Women were not officially restricted from driving under the law. However, the officials refrained from giving them licenses, leading to a de facto ban. The country that believes strongly in a male-female separation, justifies this ban on the grounds that a woman driving unaccompanied, will come into contact with an unrelated man, thereby undermining the principles of the country.

The chauvinistic attitude of several Saudi orthodox residents could be reflected in the words of a senior cleric. He said, ‘women should not drive because their brains were the quarter the size of a man’s when they were distracted by shopping.’ Despite its infamy for weak human rights protection, the country banned the cleric from preaching. Soon, the king passed a royal decree that allows women to finally get behind the wheel. A committee will present a plan on how to implement this decree in the next 30 days and will be implemented by June 2018.

False progress

While politicians, activists, feminists and humanists celebrate all over the world, the killjoys criticise it, claiming that it is an upsetting decree. However, what is upsetting is not the royal decree, but the real reason behind it. Only once the veil of deception is removed, do we get access to the facts.

The country that is severely dependant on workers from South and South-East Asia, is moving towards Saudisation. One-third of the population in the country is composed of foreign workers who send money back to their home countries. In order to put an end to this, Saudi has been working to employ nationals—both men and women—in the private sector. The decree will increase employment for the nationals, thereby reducing Saudi’s dependence on foreign workers.

The long wait for equality

The recent royal decree places surmountable power in the hands of the formerly disadvantaged population. Women who were not allowed to vote or participate in elections were allowed to do so in the 2015 election. This change was executed by King Abdullah, who also let women be a part of the constituent assembly.

Yet, conservative men and women in Saudi believe that the country is the closest to an ideal and pure Islamic nation, and hence they condemn any kind of transformation. They are of the opinion that gender parity is a Western notion and it does not go hand in hand with their religious principles. Despite recent revelations, Saudi women, who are covered from head to toe in Burqas, continue to be denied their basic human rights.

The way ahead for Saudi women

With the latest lift of the driving ban, women activists are ready to cross the next hurdle. There are so many other areas, where women are not treated as equals. The greatest of all challenges to Saudi woman is the practice of requiring a ‘wali’ or a male guardian to make all major decisions. This law is not enshrined in the constitution but is yet another de facto principal followed by officials all across the country. A woman requires the consent of a male guardian – a brother, father, husband or uncle, in order to undertake important activities, such as acquiring a passport, getting married, signing a contract, getting divorced, traveling, opening a bank account, leaving jail, seeking medical treatment or even getting a job.

Once that hurdle is crossed, Saudi women will have much more freedom than they have had for centuries. Saudi hypocrisy can be observed in the fact that even though a woman owes her existence to a male, she is expected to keep minimal interaction with men. A woman must control physical closeness with any man that is not a family member.

Last year, Saudi proposed to host a version of the Olympic games, without women. According to Prince Fahad bin Jalawi al-Saud, a consultant to the Saudi Olympic Committee, the country has a hard time believing that women can compete in sports. Furthermore, a woman is obliged to cover her body and hair while appearing in public. These principles are followed as Saudi Arabia adheres to a strict version of the Sharia or the Islamic law.

Change is underway

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2016, Saudi Arabia is ranked 141 out of 144 nations for gender parity. For a nation that is so far behind in achieving its feminist ideals, the royal decree certainly hints to the possibility of a world where a male-female equality is a reality.

Whether the royal decree was a step closer to a gender equal society or a carefully planned Saudization strategy, is uncertain. However, it is certain that the move was a win-win for Saudi women. Manal Al-Sharif is a woman activist who was jailed for daring to sit in the driver’s seat a few years earlier. After her long-drawn struggle for her rights, she acknowledged the royal decree and said ‘‘Rain only begins with one drop.’’

Featured Image Source: Wikimedia Commons