Gender Equality in Saudi Arabia

Views

Edit

 -- 

Discussion Discuss

From Wikigender.org

(Redirected from Saudi Arabia)
Jump to: navigation, search


Saudi_Arabia
flag_Saudi_Arabia.png
Flag of Saudi_Arabia
Population (in Mil.) 29.2
Sex Ratio (m/f) 1,17
Life Expectancy Ratio (f/m) 1.06
Fertility Rate -
Income Ratio (f/m) -
Literacy Ratio (f/m) 0,80
Tertiary Enrolment Ratio (f/m) 1,5
Women in Parliament (in %) 0
SIGI Rank 0
More information on variables
Did you know that Saudi_Arabia ranks number 0 of 102 countries on the OECD Social Institutions and Gender Index? To learn more, see the official country note "Gender Equality and Social Institutions in Saudi_Arabia" at genderindex.org:

Contents

Social Institutions

Religion affects all aspects of life in Saudi Arabia. The country’s Sunni Muslims - about 90 percent of the population – are governed by very conservative interpretations of Islam. Societal norms and rules are patriarchal and women are treated and seen as second-class citizens only. As such, they continue to face discrimination in most areas of society. They have fewer rights than men in family matters; their freedom of movement is restricted; and their economic opportunities and rights are limited. Frequently, women’s actions and choices hinges on the permission or wishes of their mahram (i.e. husband or closest male family relative). Saudi Arabia also applies rules of strict gender segregation and unrelated men and women are separated in all public places.

Family Code

While Saudi Arabian legislation does not define a legal age of marriage, the practice of forced marriages was banned by the country’s religious authority in 2005. Nevertheless, the degree to which a bride is involved in decisions surrounding her own marriage varies between families. The formal marriage contract is between the husband-to-be and the mahram of the bride. An estimated 16 percent of girls between 15 and 19 years of age are currently married, divorced or widowed in Saudi Arabia (UN, 2004).

Polygamy is allowed under Islamic law and a Muslim man may take as many as four wives, provided that he can support and treat them all equally. The practice is reportedly on the decline, both for demographic and economic reasons.

Women are discriminated against with regards to parental authority as, legally, children belong to their father. If divorced or widowed, a woman is normally granted custody of daughters until they reach the age of nine and sons until they reach the age of seven. Older children are often awarded to the divorced husband or the paternal grandparents. Women cannot confer citizenship to their children (if born to a non-Saudi Arabian father).

Islamic law provides for detailed and complex calculations of inheritance shares. A woman may inherit from her father, her mother, her husband, her children, and under certain conditions, from other members of her family, but her share is generally smaller than a man’s entitlement. A daughter, for example, inherits half as much as a son. This is commonly justified by the fact that a woman has no financial responsibility towards her husband and children. Women, particularly in rural areas, are often deprived even of their entitled share as they are considered to be supported by their fathers or husbands.

Physical Integrity

Female genital mutilation is not a general practice, but reports suggest that there is some occurrence of the practice among Shia Muslims in the Eastern Province, and possibly among some Bedouin groups (Doumato, 2005).

Violence against women is common and there are no specific laws addressing the issue, nor any adequate protection for the victims. Incidents of domestic violence are rarely reported or even talked about publicly. So-called honour crimes, whereby a woman is punished or even killed by male family members for having put “shame” on the family honour, are also prevalent. The suspicion alone of a woman’s wrong-doing is often enough for her to be subject to violence in the name of honour. Migrant women (Saudi Arabia has a large expatriate population), often working as domestic helpers, represent a particularly vulnerable group and their living conditions are sometimes slave-like and include physical suppression.

Women, as well as men, may be subject to harassment by the country’s religious police, the mutawwa’in; torture (although outlawed); and physical punishments, often without having their case presented in court.

Civil Liberties

Women’s freedom of movement is strongly limited in Saudi Arabia. They are not supposed to leave their local neighbourhood without the company of their mahram, nor shall they be in physical contact with unrelated males. Women are not allowed to drive cars and they need their mahram’s permission to travel by airplanes, check into hotels or rent an apartment. Furthermore, mosques, most ministries and some public streets are reserved for men. Similarly, women have only limited access to parks, museums and libraries (Doumato, 2005).

Women do not enjoy freedom of dress, but are required to cover themselves completely from head-to-toe. The dress code includes a full black cloak (abaya) and a face veil (niqba). Women who choose to not cover themselves fully, which is increasingly the case in parts of the country, run the risk of being harassed (The Associated Press, 2006).

Ownership Rights

Women have the legal right to own land and property, engage in financial contracts and apply for bank loans, but these rights are – for several reasons – largely restricted in practice. The requirement for unrelated men and women to be separated in all public areas limits women’s ability to independently own and manage any kind of assets. Being subject to the will of their mahram, in turn, places women under the legal guardianship of men. Also, a woman who wants to go into business of her own is obliged to hire a male manager before receiving a commercial license (Doumato, 2005).

In spite of the many constraints on women’s economic participation there appears to be an increased awareness among the Saudi population that improved economic opportunities for women would benefit all. Although overall progress is slow, individual initiatives to empower women have been introduced in recent years. For example, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, an all female investment centre aiming to facilitate investment in local businesses, was opened in Riyadh in 2004.

2009: New Commitments to improving gender equality

Saudi Arabia made important commitments on women's rights, on ending the juvenile death penalty and on other human rights issues during its review by the UN Human Rights Council on June 10, 2009. Saudi Arabia accepted a recommendation put forward by UN member states in February to take steps to end the system of male guardianship over women, to give full legal identity to Saudi women, and prohibit gender discrimination. The government also clarified that the Shari'a concept of male guardianship over women is not a legal requirement, and that "Islam guarantees a woman's right to conduct her affairs and enjoy her legal capacity."

In the news

Sources

  • The Associated Press, A look at the wearing of veils, and disputes on the issue, across the Muslim world, International Herald Tribune, 31 October, 2006.
  • Human Rights Watch statement on 2009 commitments: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/06/12/un-saudi-arabia-pledges-end-men-s-control-over-women
  • BBC News, Saudi Arabia bans forced marriage, 12 April 2005, http://news.bbc.co.uk/.
  • EDAW (2007), Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, combined initial and second periodic reports of States parties, Saudi Arabia, CEDAW/C/SAU/2.
  • Doumato, E.A. (2005), Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Citizenship and Justice – Saudi Arabia Country Report, 2005, Freedom House Inc.
  • OECD (2006), The Gender, Institutions and Development Database, www.oecd.org/dev/gender/gid.
  • U.S. Department of State (2005), Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – Saudi Arabia 2004, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
  • United Nations (2004), Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Fertility Report, New York.

The Women, Business and the Law

Where are laws equal for men and women? 

The Women, Business and the Law report presents indicators based on laws and regulations affecting women's prospects as entrepreneurs and employees. Several of these indicators draw on the Gender Law Library, a collection of over 2,000 legal provisions impacting women's economic status. This report does not seek to judge or rank countries, but to provide information to inform discussions about women’s economic rights. Covering 128 economies, Women, Business and the Law provides data covering 6 areas: accessing institutions,using property, getting a job, dealing with taxes, building credit, and going to court.Read more about the methodology.

For detailed information on Saudi Arabia, please visit the Women, Business and
the Law Saudi Arabia page.

Sources

Retrieved from "http://wikigender.org/w/index.php/Gender_Equality_in_Saudi_Arabia"
Share

Article Infos
Report Spam or Vandalism