Education and Medicines in Saudi Arabia and the United States - Research Paper Example

Introduction Of late, we have heard much buzz about the two nations, the Saudi Arabia and the United States of America. It is interesting to know that both Saudi Arabia and USA own similarities as well as dissimilarities between them. Let us compare and contrast the two countries form various aspects. SimilaritiesIf we talk about education, both the nations are alike in terms of government funding, independence to select school as per one’s own wish, and education for people with special needs (Stevenson).

For instance, parents of both the countries have the option to enroll their children in public, private or home school, in accordance to what is best for their kids (Stevenson). In terms of health system too, the two countries share certain common traits, such as medicines prescribed for acne is ‘laryngitis’ (Almustafa). Also, it has been noted that doctors in both the countries give due respect to the privacy of the patients (Almustafa). DissimilaritiesIn spite of having various similarities, Saudi Arabia and USA are acutely diverse in various fields.

In the field of education, the two countries have completely different outlook in terms of approach towards education, rate of literacy, religion followed in school (). Other educational differences include the gender roles, grading scales and stages of education (Stevenson). For instance, attendance is mandatory for primary and secondary level students in USA, whereas attendance is not mandatory in similar levels in Saudi Arabia (Stevenson). Also, while USA boasts of a literacy rate of almost 99% for both men and women, Saudi Arabia holds a literacy rate of only 84.

7% for men and 70.8% for women (Stevenson). Moreover, the two countries differ grossly in terms of the religion followed. Although the majority of US population follows Christianity, the country is home to the followers of various diverse religions as well. However, Saudi Arabia is a country that strictly follows Islam and Muslims dominate the society. Also, the two countries exhibit totally uncommon lifestyles (“The Differences”). People have a conservative mind-set in terms of women. Here two women are forbidden to go outside together.

Moreover, they have to keep their heads covered in public. On the other hand, USA reveals a liberal and democratic mind-set in which both the genders can enjoy equal privileges (“The Differences”). Conclusion Strangely, the countries, Saudi Arabia and United States reveal both similarities and dissimilarities. From the above discussion we found that while both the countries follow certain similar patterns in the fields of education and medicines, they differ grossly in terms of religion and lifestyle.

Works CitedAlmustafa, Ali. “The Health System in Saudi Arabia and the United States”. UM ELI Students. 28 Apr, 2007. Retrieved on 2 Dec. 2010. .Stevenson, J. “Educational Differences between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America”. Associated Content. 8 Oct. 2010. Retrieved on 2 Dec. 2010. .“The Differences between Saudi Society and American Society”. AE2. 13 Sep. 2008. Retrieved on 2 Dec. 2010. < http://ceslae2.blogspot.com/2008/09/differences-between-saudi-society-and_13.html>.