Segregation of Women in Saudi Arabia - Term Paper Example

Segregation of women in Saudi Arabia Effect of dressing s for women in engineering in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state with the majority of its population being Muslims. Islam governs almost every aspect of life in Saudi Arabia. In this nation, the public practice of any other form of religion apart from Islam is highly prohibited. If such activities come to the closer attention of the authorities, it may lead to severe punishment including deportation and imprisonment (Al-Hageel, 8-9). As cited by Wilson and Graham (249), the Saudi Arabians usually take their religion very seriously. An estimated over one billion Muslims across the globe face Mecca five times a day in prayer. It is regarded as a major expression of faith for each Muslim to make a pilgrimage commonly known as Hajj to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Considering that the Muslim holy day is Friday; most working places are often shut on Thursday and Friday. During prayer times, shops and other places of work close for at least 30 minute or more minutes and several businesses stop working. Women, in Saudi Arabia, as of 2011, constitute 18.7 % of the nation’s native workforce (House, 100). The Saudi Arabian laws are founded on the Muslim Holy Book, the Quran, identified as “Sharia law”. It is a societal norm in Saudi Arabia as well as other Muslim nations to maintain a strict dress code for women. Majority of the Saudis are conservative and religious. The Hijab is considered as traditional norm where the women were obliged to draw their outer garments from when going out as well as dressing in a modest manner. There are two distinct types of clothing for women in Saudi Arabia: one if for the locals while the other one is for the expatriates. Outside the home, majority of Arab women dress according to the Islamic religious customs. This means that they ought to cover their bodies from head to toe. The traditional black garment that is commonly known as abaya reaches the ankles in length, a high neckline and covers the hair too. In some occasions, the Saudi Arabian women are totally covered including their hands and face (AlMunajjed, 45-46). This is meant to protect the women from unwanted attention. In Saudi, even the foreign professional women need to wear an abaya when they are outside their homes. In this state, the religious police will stop any female figure that especially women who walk without their hair being covered. They are usually directed to cover their heads (Crystal). The West regards this mode of dressing as highly visible symbol of oppressing the women. However, the strictness of the dress code usually varies from one region to another, for example, in Jeddah, majority of women usually go out with their faces uncovered. On the other hand, Riyadh is usually very conservative requiring women to cover all their body parts. Jeddah is documented to be the capital of the western region. It is the home of Saudi Arabians who have actually settled here for numerous years from other parts of the globe. Over time, it has been influenced by foreign traders. As a consequence, they have introduced a different and a more relaxed sense of living as compared to the other parts of the Saudi region. On the other hand, Riyadh is the capital of central region of Saudi Arabia as well the nation. It is considered as a very conservative city. The women in this city are normally fully covered including their veils when going out (AlMunajjed, 121-4). Besides, the region’s societal norms and climate calls for informal but smart mode of dressing. Most Arabs usually frown upon clothes that reveal the arms and shoulders, as well as the legs. In that perspective, any woman that dresses provocatively is usually considered as being of ‘easy virtue.’ In the home, however, whether a professional or not, there are usually no restrictions on the mode of dressing (House, 100). In the engineering field, most Saudi women wear conservative suits that are usually inform of dark-colored skirts that fall beyond the knee or trousers. The elbows are also required to be covered at all times with either a shirt or vest. As noted by House (100), irrespective of their profession, women in Saudi Arabia need to wear the hijab (to cover the head), the full black cloak (abaya) and a face-veil (niqab). This clothing needs to be thick, loose and opaque. Besides, they should not look like the men’s clothing. This mode of clothing is quite cumbersome for the engineering practices, since the loose clothing may interfere with the systems functioning such as a propeller, engines fluids among many others. This makes it difficult for the women to learn the profession comfortably like the men. According to House (100), some of the Saudi Arabian activists view the traditional Saudi culture as the major impediment to the women’s rights. One female journalist said that, “If the Quran doesn’t tackle the subject, the clerics usually incline their view on the side of caution making it haram (forbidden).” Giddens (p.183) argues that most Islamic groups insist that women wear veils and, best known being the Taliban in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan who introduced what is essentially a form of gender apartheid. Majority of the Saudi professionals, especially females, are usually conservatively dressed in certain traditional Islamic attire commonly known as hijab. It consists of non-veiling loose clothes and head covers. In some instances, some are fully veiled in a black or colored niqab that usually covers the face as well as the body from top to toe. It only leaves a portion for the eyes. Gender disparity is evident in Saudi Arabia, when attending to the clients, the female engineers are required to only attend to the female clientele. 2. Challenges and opportunities facing women scientists and engineers today as they plan their careers According Colbert (180), one of the obstacles that prevent women from pursuing science and engineering related careers is that they have to choose between family and career. The scientific related fields are very demanding thus requiring some one to sacrifice a lot. Numerous studies have also documented that the other obstacles to success for women in science and engineering include fewer promotions, lower salaries and fewer leadership appointments (Pearson, and Irwin, 2-6). In that respect, in the science and engineering field, obstacles like glass ceiling, both in pay and position, however, still exist. The other challenge they need to face is coping with gender differences at the workplace since men and women have varied interaction styles. Academic practices that are usually presumed to be gender-free and meritocratic, often work against the professional success of women. Their severe impacts on the majority of women are hidden behind a neutral or a positive facade that has been erected on the highly publicized achievements of a few exceptional women, where a number of whom refute the being of obstacles in their career path. Conversely, lack of professional and social connections that are available for most women in academic science and engineering departments, overt and covert gender bias and differences in socialization, have led to the creation of unique and special problems for women (Merton, 27-20). As women prepare for the career paths, girls and women are prone to health disparities. This is as a result of numerous patriarchal cultural practices and ideologies have structured society in a manner that women are more susceptible to practices of mistreatment and abuse. This makes them to be more vulnerable to early death and sickness thus affecting their career dreams and aspirations (Ravindran and Kelkar-Khambete, 122-125). In the Middle East, the Islamic laws, customary laws, imported European laws, as well as the reformed versions of Islamic law have been found to impact on women in various measures in various Middle Eastern legal systems. Even though the Middle East nations have feminist organizations, they are small and tend to have little input into the political process to further the learning of women in science and engineering. However, Home (100), found out that most Islamic fundamentalists are still fighting for rigid sexual segregation as well the restriction of women to the roles of a mother and a wife. Their main objectives comprise of removing co-education and design a special curricula so as to train women for lives to be housewives, removing women from jobs that are outside the home, limiting their roles politically, barring birth control and abortion getting rid of women from the legal profession as well as the judiciary, and finally, imposing conservative dressing codes that are designed to ensure that no male figure outside the womans immediate family sees more than her face and hands and face. In 2006, a few students who were very determined embarked on a journey to obtain engineering degrees in a nation where women are not even allowed to drive. Besides, in this nation education is not compulsory, and some families usually prefer not to educate their female children. As a consequence, there is significant female illiteracy (Doumato 2). In numerous regions around the globe, women face serious inequalities. Traditional research has been focusing on the economic status of women, women’s success in areas such as health and education, political participation of women, as well their empowerment. On the other hand, less attention has been offered to social institutions, for instance traditions, norms and family law. Another challenge is that female participation is low in regions where discrimination via social institutions has been found to be very high. For instance, women who have been denied ownership rights and right to education cannot easily take up the role of entrepreneurship, thus increasing the problem of gender gap (Doumato 3-4). Byko (34-37) notes that there has been a changing landscape in the American science and engineering community. Between the years 1965 and 2002, the number of women who earned science and engineering degrees at all education levels increased. As of 2002, women were receiving half of all engineering and bachelors degrees. On the other hand, the number of bachelors’ degrees in scientific and engineering fields for men has fluctuated around the same number since the year 1975. Generally, more women engineers are making a come back to science and engineering workforce after raising their families. 3. Recommended strategies to improve the working environment in Saudi Arabia Gender gap needs to be reduced due to the fact that: it is a basic human right, for better healthcare, more participants in the economy thus economic growth, and improved work-life balance for both men and women. Therefore, the Saudi Government needs to provide equal opportunities for both men and women to be educated as well as working together as equals in order to build a healthy society and nation. This will eliminate the gender disparities that are evident in Saudi Arabia. King Abdulla, ruler of Saudi Arabia, has come with regulations to ensure the women also have equal access to education, as well as other societal duties. In 2006, the ruler came up with a regulation that ensured only women employees worked in lingerie’s shops. This was as a result of women pushing for a more conducive environment for dong business since they found it very uncomfortable dealing with male figures while purchasing their inner clothing. The other way of enhancing a good working environment is through coming up with regulations that enhance equal opportunities that permit persons to pursue a life of their own selection as well as avoiding extreme deprivations in the outcomes. The Saudi government needs to expand access to public education by eliminating fees that numerous parents cannot afford. This will ensure that majority of people get basic education. In addition, it also needs to invest in teachers, school, scholarships, and development of the egalitarian curriculum. Legal reforms in the status of women have been projected to promote the achievement of full modernization of female’s legal status. Women and men in Saudi Arabia remain extremely segregated and are strictly not allowed to mix in public. However, the recent laws empowering women has seen them hold high-level teaching positions in universities, working as nurses, and a wide range of other professions (Enoch). For most people around the globe, discrimination is regarded as a moral issue and needs to be resisted as a matter of principle. However, what is often disregarded is the economic impact of prohibiting women from engaging actively in the economy. The success of integrating female workers in Saudi Arabian Economy will be a major factor in building competitiveness in the global economy. According to a study conducted by the World Bank in 2000/2001, it was found that closing gender gap in schooling the Middle East will significantly increase and double economic growth especially including Saudi Arabia (Forsythe, Korzeniewicz and Durrant, 67-70). Research has shown that the expected economic returns for female education are higher as compared to males at all education levels. The government of Saudi Arabia needs to increase the participation of women in the labor force. A more flexible perception of participation of women in the workforce would lead to the creation of more job opportunities for Saudi Arabian women thus making significant contribution to the national income. So as to strengthen reforms, numerous experts have called for more funding, for example, building of schools and other training institutions. The educational reforms need to focus on enhancing the equitable outcomes of the public education system for girls for additional training and lifelong learning, whilst promoting productivity, employability and social inclusion. Another remedy is that efforts need to be directed towards changing the institutional frameworks that have been found to limits employability skills. As a result, this contributes to national economic growth. These efforts as cited by have been found to pay off (Forsythe, Korzeniewicz, and Durrant, 20). The fight against gender discrimination needs to incorporate men. Numerous reform programs usually fail as a result of heavy focus on the needs of women. This overlooks the fact that societies are founded on persistent discrimination that usually generate benefits that men will not sacrifice easily. Engaging men in the reform agenda, offering incentives and even financial compensation are very vital. Another recommendation is provision of forums that reveal the people’s experiences with the local customs not only assist enhance the information available on the women’s situation in Saudi Arabia and throughout the world, but also entails engaging people in this experience of mutual learning will bring forward local allies like teachers who can help assist build pressure for change and garnering broader public support as well as dispelling the fears of change amongst the citizens. Eventually, this process will facilitate break down the stubborn social mindsets and attitudes. This will enable the policy makers to design their strategies to the specific situation in the community or nation such as such as Riyadh and Saudi Arabia respectively (Drechsler, Jütting and Lindberg, 34-37). As cited by AlMunajjed (120), the Saudi society has its unique social characteristics. Therefore, the Saudi government ought to make investments in certain specializations and skills to create a balance between tradition and the demands for the women’s productive participation in the society. Works Cited Al-Hageel, Suleiman. Human Rights in Islam and their Application in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abu-Dhabi. 2012. AlMunajjed, Mona. Women in Saudi Arabia today, New York: Cengage Learning. 2007. p 120. Byko, Maureen. Challenges and opportunites for women in science and engineering. New York: Routledge, 2011. Colbert I. King. Included in Klein, John M., Ethics for International Business: Decision-Making in a Global Political Economy, Routledge, 2005, p. 180. Crystal, Jill. Womens Rights in the Middle East and North Africa - Saudi Arabia. UNHCR Report. New York: Freedom House, 2005. Doumato, Elean Abdella. Saudi Arabia. New York: Freedom House, 2010. Drechsler, D., Jütting, J. and Lindberg, C. (2008): “Gender, Institutions and Development – Better Data, Better Policies”, Poverty InFocus, UNDP Poverty Centre, January 2008. Enoch, Nich. 3 January 2012. Saudi Arabia enforces law that allows only women to work in lingerie and cosmetics shops. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- 2081345/Saudi-Arabia-enforces-law-allows-women-work-lingerie-shops.html [Accessed 2 April 2014]. Forsythe N., Korzeniewicz R.P. and Durrant,V. (2000), “Gender Inequalities and Economic Growth: A Longitudinal Evaluation” in Economic Development and Cultural Change, Vol. 48(3).Giddens, Anthony (2003). The Progressive Manifesto: New Ideas for the Centre-Left. Polity. p. 183. House, Karen Elliott. On Saudi Arabia : Its People, past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future. Knopf. 2012. p. 100 Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel, and Daniel. Communication between cultures. New York: Sage. 2000. p. 271. Merton, Robert K. Science, Technology and Sociey in the Seventeenth Century Bruges: St. Catherines Press.2008. Pearson Willie, and Fechter Irwin. Who Will Do Science? Educating the Next Generation, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. Ravindran, T.K.S., and Kelkar-Khambete, A. "Gender mainstreaming in health: looking back, looking forward". Global Public Health 3 (1), 2008: 121–142. Wilson, Peter and Graham, Douglas. Saudi Arabia: The Coming Storm. M.E. Sharpe. 2001. p. 249. Read More