For those who are unfamiliar with the politics of Saudi Arabia, it is governed as an absolute monarchy. King Salman Al Saud must comply with Sharia (Islamic Law), and the Quran and Sunnah (teachings of Muhammad) are taken as the country’s constitution. This makes Saudi Arabia a country governed by a single leader who must follow, or appear to follow Islamic teachings. It is regarded by many in the world as a totalitarian dictatorship, and thus has been a focal point of many groups throughout the years- particularly feminists and the LGBTQ+ community due to its strict control of women and capital punishment for homosexuality.
Saudi Arabia have often been “late to the party” concerning gender equality-domestic violence against women was only criminalized in 2013. Prior to 2017, a woman was required to have permission from her male guardian to travel, study or work. However, in May 2017, a royal decree was passed which now allows women to work in government positions such as education and healthcare without the consent of a male guardian. All this appears to point towards important progress, buy, whilst things are changing, it is not enough.
Saudi feminist journalist Wajeha al-Huwaider comments, “Saudi women are weak…because they have no law to protect them from attack by anyone.” Even though women are now able to drive on Saudi Arabia, there has been vicious backlash, and there is little that is done to prevent threats against women. In a news article publishes Friday 29th September by The Independent, a Saudi man was reported to have been captured on film commenting, “I swear to God, any woman whose car breaks down- I will burn her and her car”. It seems, for women in Saudi Arabia, its one step forward, two steps back.
Women are still unable to marry, get divorced or get elective surgery without permission from a male guardian. They are forced to adhere to strict guardianship rules- any male relative must give approval before a woman can obtain basic rights. Women, evidently, are not allowed to mix freely with men. In 2013, authorities ordered shops that employ both men and women to build “separation walls” to prevent them from mixing with each other. It goes without saying that women are not entitled to basic rights-they cannot have a passport without the approval of their male guardian, nor retain their children in a divorce after their children reach a certain age. In nearly all crucial aspects of their lives, women in Saudi Arabia do not enjoy the much taken-for-granted freedom that women in the west have.
Despite now being able to drive car without male approval. Women in Saudi Arabia are still fundamentally oppressed in the most significant areas. Being unable to eat where you wish freely, or mix with the opposite gender, retain your children in court, be given a fair trial or receive an equal inheritance, restricts women’s autonomy which is all that feminists want for the world. We want all women to be in control of themselves, and not to have to listen to a man tell us how to live a life that he may never understand.
Being a white woman in the UK makes my experience of being female almost entirely worlds away from the experiences of women in Saudi Arabia, but I will not entertain the idea that because women are now able to drive, there is no more work to be done. In the words of Audre Lorde, “I am not free whilst any woman is unfree, even if her shackles are very different from my own.”