Feminism Around the World: Saudi Arabia

I've mostly been talking about feminism in the United States because as Americans we normally only concern ourselves with issues that affect us. But today I want to talk about feminism outside of the United States. Feminism and the issues women face are different in parts of the world. In much of the Middle East women have very limited rights, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia, women have just recently gained the right to vote. 2015 is the first year women are allowed to vote. But that right came with conditions. Women are only allowed to vote in elections at a local level.

Women still don't have the right to drive. They just recently were allowed to ride bicycle. Even now women can't ride for transportation, only for "entertainment." Whatever that means. And if they go out they have to go out with their male chaperone.

There is a new movement called "Women2Drive" that is advocating the right for women to drive. There has been some interesting opposition to this movement. A lot of it has come from women themselves, both old and young. Many women feel that driving isn't a necessity. This article does a really good job at showing the women's opinion on the movement.

The chaperone thing is pretty messed up. Women can only leave the house with their male "protectors" permission. They can't go anywhere alone or without a male relative present. I'm not an expert in the Saudi Arabian culture, but the idea of this disgusts me. I am a very independent person I am used to doing things by myself, and sometimes prefer it that way. If I had to go everywhere with my dad, I mean I love my dad, but that would just be too much.

But what really pisses me off is the messed up laws on rape. If a women is raped she is usually punished more than the rapists. A rape victim can be punished with jail time and lashes for going out without a male chaperone and dishonoring her family. There was a rape case that came to light in 2006. The Girl of Qatif is a case where a girl was gang-raped by seven men. The victim was sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes. Yes you read that right, the victim of rape was sentenced to time in jail and 200 lashes. The reason? Not obeying the segregation of the sexes and bringing shame to her family. This really pisses me off. They physically punished the victim of rape.

This is completely unacceptable, yet not much has changed. Those laws are still in effect. The only good thing is people were outraged by this ruling. Outrage means people see the problem and care enough to begin to change things. This gives hope for the future. Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdulaziz wrote a list of things she would like to see changed in her country.

Tldr: Women have few rights in Saudi Arabia and the rape laws are fucked up. But things might be getting better. Tell me what you think in the comments.