Throughout the semester I have been researching Saudi Arabian women’s rights. My knowledge about the daily lives of women in Saudi Arabia, and their fight for equality, has grown immensely. I have been amazed and horrified at some of the information I have found. This post, my final blog post, will summarize my findings starting from the first blog to now and, delve further into analyzing how this issue relates to globalization, the Arab Spring and the five perspectives on globalization.
For my first blog post, I focused on the general concepts of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. Having approached the topic with little to no knowledge I needed to do some fundamental research. I knew very little about the rules and regulations that are imposed on these women on a daily basis. The first item I discussed in my blog is a list of eleven things women in Saudi Arabia can’t do, from The Week. These rules include but aren’t limited to: vote in elections, drive a car and try on clothes when shopping. I was surprised at the laws imposed on these women. The second item I discussed on my blog is a video from the Economist titled Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia: Driving Change. Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, although very primitive, are changing. Women are starting to be able to go out in public without being accompanied by a man. There is also a huge change in the work force. Prices are rising and men can no longer afford to be the only source of income in their homes, allowing women to work in places they were initially forbidden from working in, such as law offices. We read a chapter in Battle for the Arab Spring, regarding the advances Tunisia has made and how they accomplished such advances. With access to the Tunisian League of Human Rights and Tunisian General Union of Labour, activists had a lot more to work with than Saudi Arabian activists. I hope that one day Saudi Arabia will be able to make the changes they so greatly desire. The Arab Spring has been expressed as a wave of popular uprisings against an oppressive government or ruler. In regards to Saudi Arabia women’s rights, I feel that a big issue does not simply reside with governmental restrictions but with tradition and culture. Cultural norms are strongly dictating what is right and wrong for women.
For my second blog posting I focused on King Abdullah and the changes he brought to Saudi Arabia. A key article I posted in this blog is titled “Did Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Have a Soft Sport for Women’s Progress?”. This article discusses both the subtle and not so subtle changes that were made for women’s rights during Kind Abdullah’s reign. An important change that was made is an increase in employment for women. Although women still struggle to find work in certain fields, women’s employment has skyrocketed from 50,000 to over 450,000 in a mere five years span. Change in Saudi Arabian women’s rights is slow but there is progress. I feel that the Arab Spring and it’s success in areas such as Tunisia is a driving force for change in Saudi Arabia, giving hope to protesters that if you act change will come. With the protesters in the Arab Spring standing up for what they believe in, it is leading women to do the same. So how are the people of Saudi Arabia protesting? For my third blog I answered this question.
Social media is a driving force for Saudi Arabian women’s rights. The first article I discussed on this blog post is from Twitter. The Twitter account is centered around women’s rights in Arab Nations. The user posts about current issues in places with severe women’s rights problems such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The second article I posted is of a You Tube video. In this video, a woman named Wajeha Al-Huwaider is sending a message to Saudi women about the need for women’s rights to be changed. She makes this statement while driving a car, which is a banned act for women to do in Saudi Arabia. Both of these links show activists using social media to campaign for women’s rights. Social media has made a huge impact for women’s rights activists and activist all over the world for many different issues. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and I’m sure many other forms of social media are used on a daily basis to spread information about issues and to aid in protest. Throughout the semester we have covered many readings involving the use of social media to bring about awareness and make a change. For example, the death of Khaled Said, which was covered in both Battle for the Arab Spring and Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution.
For another blog posting I decided to focus on the differing perspective had by women in Saudi Arabia in regards to women’s rights. The first article I am posting comes from CNN. The article discusses 3 different women and their perspectives and contributions to the fight for women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. One woman, named Rawda al Youssef, is for the laws that many feel are oppressing women. She states it allows them to live a life of privilege and pampering and went on to create a campaign entitled ” My Guardian Knows What’s Best for Me”. The other women discussed in the article fight the laws that are oppressing them. The second article I am posting is from a page dedicated to women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. This site lists in general the different views had by women in Saudi Arabia of their restrictive laws. The article includes those opposed, those for, and also the views of women who travel to Saudi Arabia for work in areas such as oil fields. Both articles discuss the varying views of the reform and the laws that are currently limiting the lives of women in Saudi Arabia. Upon reading both articles I was intrigued to see the varying perspectives on how women perceive their rights. The articles give me a respect for the women that do not wish for a reform as well as those fighting for change. It is interesting to see the argument from both sides. It is hard to imagine such oppressive laws being seen as life of pampering instead of that of oppression. This debate, although different, reminds me of the differing opinions seen in the film The Square, that we watched in class. Different political and religious views as well as a simple way of life have an impact on the changes that people want to see for their nations. What is seen as a humanitarian issue in some places is simply a way of life for others. Some people have become accustom to their way of life and are not wanting or willing to change. However, the push for change is not only important for equality but also for health reasons.
For another blog entry I chose to discuss women’s health in Saudi Arabia and how it relates to education. The first article I found discusses gender inequity in Saudi Arabia and it’s relationship to health. Gender inequity in Saudi Arabia leads to many issues regarding health and education. More women than men are illiterate due to the young ages that women can be married and forced to turn into stay at home moms. There are also limitations on women exercising in school and public places, increasing the rate of obesity for women. Additionally, there are issues involving access to healthcare for women. The second article I found discusses the rights women have to healthcare in Saudi Arabia. According to this article it is a misconception that women have to obtain permission from their legal guardian to receive medical treatment but they still go untreated. Women have the right to health care but are unaware of this right so, they do not try to seek medical attention without approval from their guardian. Many doctors are also unaware of this right or fear the possible repercussions from the guardian if they perform a procedure without consent. Both articles discuss health care and women’s rights. Women are suffering greatly in Saudi Arabia from health issues such as obesity and cancer. Both of these issues could be combatted and or treated faster if women in Saudi Arabia were given more rights and access to being educated about the rights they currently possess. In the chapter in the book Controversies in Globalization discussing women’s rights in developing nations, education is discussed as a main priority. If women were to be more educated on their rights to healthcare without a guardian, many health issues would be resolved and many women suffering from conditions could be treated. Women should be educated in regards to what their rights are, even in countries such as Saudi Arabia where their rights are limited.
For my last blog entry I decided to focus in on the social media pages of some of the Saudi Arabia women advocating for equality. The first article is about a woman that was arrested for driving. The woman, named Loujain Al Hathloul, drove illegally and was stopped by police. The police took her passport and refused to let her drive. She took to Twitter posting throughout the day about the experience as she sat in her car until she was arrested. The event brought major national and global attention to the issue of Saudi Arabian women’s rights. The second article is a twitter page entitled @womens_rights. The account focuses on women’s rights in general throughout the Arab nations. She posts new information and discusses current events in women’s rights as she calls for change and voices a disproval for women’s inequality. Much like in chapter 9, The Media Revolution, from Battle for the Arab Spring, twitter has been a major driving force for activists. In The Media Revolution, Syrian activists harnessed Twitter to criticize the regime and rally protesters. In Saudi Arabia, women and men are using Twitter to spread awareness of the inequality women are facing. The use of Twitter has greatly impacted the battle for women’s rights by spreading information in the form of tweets about current events.
With the vast cry from social media, I feel that many of my authors would fall under the cosmopolitan perspective on globalization. With the aid of technologies and it’s increasing popularity, words are being spread faster, advocating for change. Additionally, many of the authors recognize certain disparities hindering the change such as the generational gap, further placing them under the cosmopolitan perspective. I hope that the use of social media will help bridge this gap and create change for women in Saudi Arabia.