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Gender Inequality In Saudi Arabia

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Saudi women’s education. As explained by feminist theory, women’s inequalities originate from the social structures and institutions that are dominated by men (Acker, 1987). In the context of Saudi Arabia, women have been treated with disrespect and consequently their values in the Islamic society are not acknowledged (Katz, 2013). The manipulation of conservative norms and traditions Saudi Arabia led to the origin of male dominance (Katz, 2013). The ideology that women do not deserve quality education is therefore preserved. However, it is important to note that the position of women in Saudi Arabia is not perpetuated by the Islamic religion but rather, self-driven motives that aim to subordinate women (Shukri, 1999). Due to the manipulation …show more content…
A side from this, Aysha discussed and negotiated both social and political matters together with Prophet Mohammed, who freely acknowledged her wisdom (Badawi, 1995). Moreover, one-sixth of the Hadith record is Aysha’s transmission of the sayings and traditions of the Prophet (Hamdan, 2005). The important role of Aysha is greatly appreciated and celebrated among Muslims today. Similarly, Khadija, the first of Prophet Mohammed, became the first prominent businesswoman and the most successful woman in Islam (Badawi, 1995). Not to mention that Fatima, who was Prophet Mohammed’s daughter, is documented as being a very politically active woman (Al Sari, 2003a, 2003b). Additionally, Sukie’na, Prophet Mohammed’s granddaughter, was a well-known mathematician (Badawi, 1995). More recently, Benazir Bhutto, a Muslim woman, became the prime minister of Pakistan (Badawi, 1995). Finally, the Nobel Prize winner Shereen Abadi from Iran is also a Muslim women’s lawyer and a political activist (Al Sari, 2003a, 2003b). Despite the important roles played by the Saudi women in history, there are a number of inequalities that disadvantaged the women. For instance, the women were not supposed to drive cars or practice law or major in mathematics, and so on (Alhareth et al., …show more content…
In order to underscore the feminist movement that seeks equality for both genders, it is imperative for women to be enlightened (Katz, 2013). Moreover, feminist theory explains why Saudi people with conservative attitudes regard women as less competent and less capable than men. Besides, from feminist theory, it is understandable why the women do not have access to quality education and even today, there are just a few women colleges in the Saudi Arabia. The full adoption of Feminism in the Islamic community has not been very successful due to Saudis’ anti-change perspectives that view it as a Western ideology. As a result, the position of the woman has remained complicated thus requiring a stronger redress to challenge the male supremacy (Al-Rawaf and Simmons, 1991). Feminist theory, therefore, is a socialist movement that challenges the traditional idea or concept of male dominance and the misconceptions caused by the conservatism, while lobbying for the social, economic, and political equality of both genders. The Islamic feminism also posits that if gender issues were addressed with equal priorities, the privileges of women will improve (Al-Rawaf and Simmons, 1991). More importantly, women will not only be empowered educationally but also become economically stable (Katz, 2013).
The beneficial aspect of feminism is the ability to reflect and put yourself in

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