The Struggle for Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia: Real Change or False Hope?
The World Economic Forum ranked Saudi Arabia 147 out of 156 countries in their 2021 Global Gender Gap Report. This report assesses a country’s progress in closing gender gaps and disparities in terms of “economic opportunities, education, health and political leadership.” The Saudi government adheres to the Wahhabi interpretation of Sharia law which calls for the implementation of strict religious practices. This system of thought has restricted women’s rights to live autonomously from men and is most evident in the male guardianship system. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom states that it was “codified into law in the second half of the 20th century as part of its attempt to retain its religious credentials amid a period of political, economic, and social transformation.” Under this oppressive system, women are legal dependents of their husbands, fathers, or brothers for life, regardless of their age or marital status. The guardianship dictates almost all aspects of a woman’s life such as her ability to travel where she pleases, receive medical treatment, and obtain an education. However, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) reign began in 2017, he undertook the ambitious goals of weakening this system and reducing gender discrimination in his country.
The Crown Prince introduced Vision 2030 in 2016, a program that prioritizes decreasing gender discrimination in the workplace to expand the country’s economy. According to the Brookings Institution, the female workforce participation rate “increased from 20 percent in late 2018 to 33 percent by the end of 2020.” MBS also made it legal for women to attend sports events, obtain passports, and make the pilgrimage to Mecca without approval from a male guardian. In 2018, women were granted the right to drive, but just weeks before it was legalized, the government arrested dozens of activists, Loujain al-Hathloul being one of them. She led the courageous campaign to lift the driving ban for women and was only recently released in February 2021. Many see the release of human right defenders as an act to appease President Biden over his worries of human rights violations.
In June 2021, an amendment to the “Law of Procedure before Sharia Courts” was enacted, giving divorced, widowed or single women the right to live independently without permission from their guardians. Even with this significant progress and milestone achievements, more must be done to ensure women have the same freedoms and opportunities as their male counterparts. The amendment still allows the guardian to report a woman if he has evidence that she committed a crime. Caveats to laws like this allow the continuation of unequal treatment against women. Further, gender segregation remains prevalent in public spaces and workplaces, and women face limits on the amount of time they can spend with a man who is not a relative. They also do not have the freedom to terminate pregnancies without permission from male guardians, and their divorce and custody rights are restricted.
Unjust treatment, lack of freedoms and abusive families have caused thousands of women to flee Saudi Arabia and seek asylum in states like Canada, the UK and Australia. Many escape while on family vacations to different countries, while others use online forums to connect with individuals who aid in their pursuit of freedom. The exact number of women who flee or attempt to flee Saudi Arabia is unknown, but there has nonetheless been a rise in cases in the last couple decades. Unsuccessful escapees are deported back to Saudi Arabia and returned to their abusive families. Saudi culture associates a woman’s behavior with family honor, so fathers and spouses will often try to inhibit women from leaving. The Saudi government has also attempted to silence women and prevent them from escaping to ensure the Prince’s image of a leader with modern ideals is upheld.
Bin Salman appears to be liberalizing his kingdom, but insiders and outsiders doubt the legitimacy and sincerity of his goals. This Middle Eastern country has a history of arbitrarily jailing women’s rights defenders for their peaceful work in fighting for equality. By the end of 2020, almost all human rights advocates were imprisoned or detained and subjected to unfair trials. Loujain al-Hathloul was released from jail, yet Human Rights Watch reported that she is banned from leaving the country and could be reimprisoned should she resume fighting for equality. This leads many to suspect that MBS is seeking to strengthen his country’s friendship with the United States, while continuing to silence and control defenders of women’s rights.
Saudi Arabia is a wealthy country and key player in the global economy due to its abundance of crude oil. Although the state has a modern economy with sophisticated infrastructure, men continue to hold women hostage under the outdated guardianship system. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made momentous improvements to decrease gender discrimination and segregation, but even if laws on paper change, societal norms and notions about women must change as well. Saudi culture has ingrained in men’s minds the belief that women are inferior. Thus, male relatives find ways to hinder the enforcement of laws that give women freedoms. The male guardianship system must be fully removed to ensure women are given autonomy over their own lives and access to the same equal opportunities that men are afforded.
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