'A Woman's Life in Saudi Arabia Is Determined by the Roll of a Dice'

Female Power in Saudi Arabia | DW Documentary

Women in Saudi Arabia – The Secret Revolution | DW Documentary

Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world where women were not permitted to drive – until now.

King Salman’s has issued a decree to lift the ban. It is a victory for women’s rights, though many other restrictions remain. A new generation is pushing for change.

This film presents some of the pioneers who are seeking to improve the lot of Saudi women and reshape Saudi society. In December 2015, women were allowed to vote and to run as candidates in municipal elections for the first time. Rasha Hefzi was elected as a city councillor in Jeddah. When conservative men on the council said she should not sit in the chamber with them, she refused to play along. Hefzi belongs to a new generation of independent-minded Saudi women who are staking claims in the professions, business and, now, politics, and who are not afraid to voice criticism of Saudi society. Two female film makers from Germany spent several weeks in Saudi Arabia making this film about such exceptional women.

Saudi Princess*, Columnist Describes the Treatment of Women in Saudi Arabia as "Slavery"

* Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Saud Bin Abdul Aziz

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Life for Saudi Women Is a Constant State of Contradiction

THE GUARDIAN: Saudi Arabia's political paradoxes mean that a woman can be elected to parliament – but she'll need a man to drive her there

What's it like being a Saudi woman? A common question I've come to expect from outsiders – even fellow Arabs. The restrictiveness of the guardianship system, gender segregation and a persistently sexist culture add up to create an exotic and mysterious lifestyle that is difficult to not only explain but also to comprehend.

How do you explain the ingrained paradox of the driving ban on women? The point of the ban is that women avoid situations that lead to them mixing with and meeting men. However, the ban then leads to the necessity of hiring a strange man and getting into the car with him on a daily basis.

How do you explain the huge amounts of money the government spends on educating and training women, so much so that 60% of college graduates in Saudi are women – educating and training all these women, despite the fact that gender segregation laws makes employing them virtually impossible.

How do you explain that this is the way of life that the average Saudi wants for his or her country, when anyone getting on a plane leaving Saudi cannot help but notice how quickly the Saudi passengers abandon their abayas and conservative mannerisms?

A country of contradictions; Saudis have coined an Arabic phrase to explain the unexplainable that translates into "Saudi exceptionality". This past week Saudi exceptionality did not disappoint. Continue reading and comment » | Eman Al Nafjan | Thursday, September 29, 2011

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Saudi Arabian Clerics Issue Fatwa Ruling That Women Cannot Work As Supermarket Cashiers
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia's top clerics have challenged the government's policy to expand jobs for women with a fatwa ruling that they should not work as cashiers in supermarkets, according to reports.

Saudi seamstresses working at a factory in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
The Council of Senior Scholars, the official fatwa issuing body, said that "it is not permissible for a woman to work in a place where they mix with men," the news website Sabq.org said.

"It is necessary to keep away from places where men congregate. Women should look for decent work that does not make it possible for them to attract men or be attracted by men," it said. >>> | Monday, November 01, 2010

Saudi Women Lawyers to Be Permitted to Appear in Court
SAUDI GAZETTE: RIYADH – The Ministry of Justice is drafting a law that would allow female lawyers to argue legal cases in court.

Sheikh Muhammad Bin Al-Issa, Minister of Justice, said Saturday the bill will be issued in the coming days as part of King Abdullah’s “plan to develop the justice system.”

Addressing a workshop on the international legal framework for countering terrorism and its funding which opened in Riyadh Saturday, Al-Issa said the committee to study the role of women in the legal profession has finished its task and that the matter was now awaiting the approval of the King.

The law would mark a major step for female lawyers in the Kingdom. Currently, women law graduates can work in government offices and in court offices, but cannot argue cases before court.

Under the new law, women would be allowed to argue cases on child custody, divorce and other family-related issues. Saudi women lawyers would be allowed to appear in court >>> Fahd Al-Dhibyaniand Adnan Al-Shabrawi | Sunday, February 21, 2010

The Truth about the Status of Women in Saudi Arabia


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