With the violent death of Jamal Khashoggi, reportedly under direct orders from the Saudi Royal Family, Saudi Arabia has seen their human rights violations thrust into the light. For years western countries have seemed to turn a blind eye to these abuses based on various factors, most notably the close relationship between the United States and Saudi governments. Of these documented violations, women in Saudi Arabia have seemed to suffer the worst. Gender roles in Saudi Arabia, like most middle eastern countries come from a history of local culture as well as the interpretations of Sharia Law. So how do the paths of the Saudi women of today mirror those of American women in the early 20th century? This paper will examine the differences and similarities in the struggle women in both countries endured to achieve their current level of rights. We will focus specially on the rights gained in the political and economic spheres as well the improvements in education and the social lives of these women.
Politically speaking women in both Saudi Arabia as well as that of the United States have seen an increase in their rights politically within the last hundred years. Starting with the United Sates, while not the first gathering in support of women’s rights, the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 is seen as the start of the Women Suffrage Movement in the United States. These woman suffrage supporters functioned to educate the public about the legitimacy of woman suffrage. Pioneers of women’s rights pioneers Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others, suffragists continuously implored Congress to pass constitutional amendments to giving women the same rights as their male counterparts. While a democracy since its inception, the United States severely limited who could vote during the country’s formative years. According to the National Women’s History Museum website (n.d.), during this time a strong alliance was formed with another movement who were seeking equal rights for black men as well; the Abolitionist Movement. By 1870, nearly five years after the end of the United States Civil War, the Fifteenth Amendment was ratified giving black men the right to vote. In 1920, due to the combined efforts of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman’s Party, the 19th Amendment, enfranchising women, was finally ratified. This is considered the most significant accomplishment of women in the Progressive Era, and was the single largest addition of voting rights in our nation’s history.. Ironically, prior to being given the right to vote women ran and were elected to positions in the latter part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. According to Lawless and Fox (2012); “As of the 1970s, women occupied almost no major elective positions in United States political institutions. By 1979, women comprised fewer than five percent of the seats in the United States House of Representatives, and only about ten percent of state legislative positions across the country.” While the 1980’s saw gradual, but steady increases in the percentage of women seeking elected office, and the early 1990s experienced a swell, however the previous few elections have seen as slight decrease in the roles of women in politics. In 2010 congressional elections resulted in the first net decrease in the percentage of women serving in the United States House of Representatives since the 1978 midterm elections. This trend continued to women elected to state legislatures. These usually act as key launching pad to positions in higher office, however they saw the largest single year decline in 2010. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, “Women in National Parliaments,” as of August 2011, the United States ranked 91st in a worldwide ranking of women in the National Legislature, ranking behind countries like Rwanda, Cuba, and Uganda all of whom are notorious for their anti-western ideology. Given the continued gender gap in political ambition, equality in the political arena is a ways off. However, strides are being made where women and men are equally likely to aspire to attain high-level elective office.
The similar can be said regarding the political climate in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is a relatively young country, having been formally introduced and recognized in 1932. As a monarchy, elections in Saudi Arabia have been rare, with only three taking place within the 20th century. Based on that, Saudi Arabia was the last country in the world to retain a gender-specific ban on political suffrage, with voting rights not being granted to women until 2015. While the municipal councils’ women could vote for don't hold much power in the country, the ability to vote was a symbolic moment for women. Similarly, Saudi women were able to hold positions prior to earning the right vote just as women did in the United States. While women within the United States are able to use their political power on a consistent basis, despite the political gains women in Saudi Arabia have made in the last decade the inconsistent frequency of elections in Saudi Arabia as well as the culture of the country that is patriarch dominated will continue to prevent women from having the same rights and opportunities as their American counterparts.
Economically women in the workforce in both the United States and Saudi Arabia have seen a steady climb since statistics started being gathered for both countries. According to the United States Department of Labor, since the end of World War II in the United States the numbers of women in the civilian labor force have quadrupled. This is further expanded on by Barsh & Yee (2011); “Between 1970 and 2009, women went from holding 37 percent of all jobs to nearly 48 percent, an increase of almost 38 million more women. Without them, our economy would be 25 percent smaller today, an amount equal to the combined GDP of Illinois, California and New York.” Back in the 1970s when women and a huge cohort of baby boomer men were entering the workforce, 65 percent of GDP growth arose from workforce expansion. According to an article by Bahn & McGrew (2017); “Women are overrepresented in sectors of the economy that are considered low profit. Many of these sectors are inherently less likely to have significant productivity gains since they are face-to-face service occupations, but they still matter a great deal to the overall functioning of the economy.” While most of the service industry is dominated by women, in recent decades there has been a considerable increase in women in jobs that are deemed “white collar” by society. While not statistically equal to their American equivalents, women in Saudi Arabia account for 48 percent of jobs in the retail sector. However, it should be noted that Saudi women account for significantly less percentage in the work force than men according to the International Labor Organization. While the percentage has risen from 15.3 percent in 1990 to roughly 18.5 percent as of a 2012 report, it is still considered extremely low as opposed to not only neighboring countries but other significant Muslim countries like Indonesia and Brunei. As previously stated, Saudi Arabia is very patriarchal, this is best stated by Al Munajjed (1997); “A woman's work must also be deemed suitable for the female physique and mentality. Women are allowed to work only in capacities in which they can serve women exclusively; there must be no contact or interaction with the opposite gender. A woman's work should not lead to her traveling without a close male relative and there is little or no public transportation in the Kingdom.” This causes most working women to travel to work without a male relative out of practicality. This is further explained by an article from Zoepf (2013) who explained until 2005, women worked only in specific fields such as doctors, nurses, teachers, or in a few other special situations where they had contact only with women. Almost all these women had college and graduate degrees and were employed in areas where men were not permitted which included teaching girls or in hospitals, as conservative families prefered that female doctors and nurse treat their wives, sisters, and daughters. Due to this, women in Saudi Arabia seem to be pigeonholed into certain careers and based on the finite number of positions in these fields the reason for the low number of employment as opposed to women in the United States becomes clearer. It should be noted that there are additional factors that account for the low numbers. One factor that can account for women in Saudi Arabia having such a low total in the work force is the significant presence of expatriate workers in the country. These individuals work in sectors that include the hotel service industry, as well housekeeping among other professions. When these expatriates are removed from the 2012 report, the number of working Saudi women dips to just above 6 percent. Another factor of the low percentage of Saudi women working has to do with Saudi Arabia’s chief export and biggest industry: oil. According to the OPEC website, Saudi oil production accounts for 18 percent of the world’s total crude oil exports. Due to this, the number of social programs available to the people of Saudi Arabia offset the need to acquire employment. This trend is being addressed by the Saudi government, as declining oil reserves are forcing them to look to the future. This includes Saudi women, who are deemed to be an untapped resource in the country. This parallels the spot women in the United States had during the 1940’s and 50’s: still considered inferior to men, however recognized for the untapped potential that they possessed.
In the legal sphere, American women have significantly more rights than those in Saudi Arabia. American women have the same rights as their male counterparts. The most glaring difference between the two is the dated system Saudi women requiring a male guardian in almost all aspects of society. While this stance has been loosened in the past decade, in the Saudi court system, under Sharia law, women have significantly less rights. For example, in the Quran when inheritance is sought daughters inherit half as much as sons. While this may seem an insignificant aspect of Saudi culture, it paints the picture of how little women are considered in the legal domain. More significant aspects include domestic violence and sexual violence. Domestic violence, while not a new part of Saudi Arabia, has started to receive public attention after the 2004 beating of popular television presenter, Rania al-Baz was severely beaten by her husband, and photographs of her 'bruised and swollen face' were published in the press. According to a Christian Science Monitor report on domestic violence on Muslim women, violence toward women is not the norm in the Middle East, it does exist and there is strong bias against women. The act of domestic violence was not seen as criminal matter until 2013, when the Saudi cabinet approved a law-making domestic violence a criminal offense for the first time. The law calls for a punishment of up to a year in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 riyals (US$13,000), which can be doubled for repeat offenders. For sexual assault, under Sharia law, which is generally enforced by the government, courts will punish a rapist with anything from flogging to execution. However there is no penal code in Saudi Arabia, so there is no written law which criminalizes rape. The rape victim is regularly punished as well. Due to this, very few rapes are reported. This is like the United States, where many rapes are not reported, however the difference is when rape is reported and found to have happened, the victim is not punished by the court system. Additionally, there is no prohibition against spousal or statutory rape. While the past few years has seen the Saudi monarchy begin to address these heinous acts, they likely occur much more frequently than reported. So, in terms of legal protection women in Saudi Arabia have significantly less legal recourse than that of women in America. This is more than likely the single biggest hurdle that Saudi women will have to overcome, and it is not likely to be done in the near term as religious fundamentals are ingrained in the culture and not easily changed.
While access to education to is available to women in both the United States and Saudi Arabia this is one of the rare instances where Saudi women have a distinct advantage over their Western equivalents. Based on an article in the Atlantic by Marcus (2017), women will comprise more than 56 percent of students on campuses nationwide according to the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to this, as recently as the 1970’s, roughly 42 percent of college students were women. Ironically this is nominally the same percentage as Saudi women, where 52 percent of all college graduates are women. However, their reasoning for obtaining higher education differ. While there are various reasons for women to obtain degrees in the United States, the most prevalent is that degrees are often required to obtain higher paying “white collar” careers. This contrasts to the reasons of why Saudi women obtain degrees, which is based on religious pursuits. In Islam, a great emphasis is placed on the importance of knowledge, study, and understanding. The belief is that obtaining knowledge is the only way to gain true understanding of life, and so it encourages both males and females to study. However, according to Yizraeli (2012); “The opportunity for women is Saudi Arabia didn’t really occur until the first women’s school opened in 1956 and the first state run school didn’t open till 1960/61.” (p. 227) Prior to this there was no “official” schools for women in Saudi Arabia. The first school for higher education for women in Saudi Arabia didn’t open till 1970. Saudi women’s education is still controlled by male guardians who are responsible for making many decisions for the women’s education. This is obviously vastly different than women in America who can attend a school of their choosing without the need of a male guardian. So, while access to higher education is available to women in both countries, their reasoning in obtaining higher education differs from one another.
Socially women in Saudi Arabia and the United States could not be more different. While women have enjoyed new freedoms following a landmark decision by the ruling monarchy to lift restrictions including extending driving privileges as well as the ability for women to travel alone, there are other facets of social behavior that women in America enjoy that Saudi women cannot. While driving and traveling alone have been extended to the women of the United States for a long time, it should be noted that women in Saudi Arabia have certain aspects of social life that they still cannot do. According to an article in the UK version of the Week, Powers (2019) listed things that women in Saudi Arabia still cannot do. The dress code for women is controlled by a strict interpretation of Sharia law and is enforced to varying across the country. Most women wear an abaya as well as a head scarf. While the face does not necessarily need to be covered, some hardline conservative Muslims are annoyed by this. Religious police are notorious for harassing women for exposing what they consider to be too much flesh or too much make-up. In July 2017, Mohammed Alarafe, a prominent Muslim scholar in Saudi Arabia, issued the advice on the abaya, posting on Twitter: 'O daughter: Don't buy any abaya that has any decorations. No embellishment, no slits, no openings. Please, daughter, don't show any makeup, and don't wear makeup like in Jahiliyyah era.' Two weeks later, a video circulated on social media showing a Saudi woman walking around a deserted area north of Riyadh wearing a miniskirt, which many saw as defiant stance the strict regulations on women’s clothing. The clip sparked debate in the country, with conservatives demanding her arrest against reformers applauding her bravery. While in America, restrictions on what women can wear seems trivial, it wasn’t that long ago when women were shamed in to wearing certain forms of clothing. The flappers of the 20’s, and the bikinis of the 50’s and 60’s stand out as two of the most significant events in what American wear. These events are unfathomable in the Saudi Arabia due to reasons previously stated above. While women and men America can work, live and socialize with each other, Saudi Arabia remains segregated between the opposite sexes. Places such public buildings, which include offices, banks and universities, have separate entrances for the different sexes. Additionally, public areas like parks, beaches and amusement parks are also segregated in majority of the country. Mingling can lead to criminal charges being brought against both individuals, yet it should be noted that women typically face harsher punishment than males. Ironically the government of Saudi Arabia proposed hosting a future Olympics, yet without the participation of women. Even after the participation of Saudi females in the 2012 London Olympics, many hardliners in the country denounced their involvement, even going so far as to call the women “prostitutes.” Female athletes in America are considered heroes and work to advance female involvement in all sports. While strives have been made in Saudi Arabia to include women in all facets of sporting events, including allowing women to enter a sporting stadium for the first time in 2017, females are still strongly discouraged from a religious standpoint in participating in physically activities. Additionally, tasks that American women take for granted everyday are considered incredibly taboo in Saudi society, this includes trying on clothes in public to reading an uncensored fashion magazine. It should be noted that while these aspects are engrained in the older generation of Saudis, according to a quote from a report by ABC journalist Momtaz (2018); “Saudi society has been stagnant too long, shackled by regressive social conservatism that has excluded half of our workforce” Indeed, it seems even the rigidness of Saudi Arabia cannot stop social progress. As the older, hardline Muslims fade away from the public, Saudi may be on the cusp of becoming on par with its other Gulf Coast country neighbors.
What we can gather is that women in Saudi Arabia have far less rights than of those in America. While this is an obvious statement, the similarities between women in America and Saudi Arabia stand out. Indeed, it seems that the path Saudi women are on is relatable to those of American women in the late 19th and early 20th century. While rights for Saudi women have come it seems at a slower pace than Americans, we must understand that for all intents and purposes the country of Saudi Arabia is a baby to that of other countries, and it took American women almost 100 years to gain the rights they currently possess whereas Saudi women have gotten them in less time. While not likely a short-term outcome, the rights that women in Saudi Arabia have gained will remain to grow as progressiveness continues to grow in the kingdom.