Women here are not taken seriously. When we think about what Saudi women had to go through to reach some kind of independence, as working women at least, we are reminded of the grim reality that this independence is still superficial. Yes, they are free to work, own property or run business. But what they have to go through to get on with their lives nevertheless reveals just how dependent they are.
Women are allowed to own cars in their own name, despite the fact that they cannot drive them. But obstacles are put in the path of those who try to purchase a car for their family. They have to have two people to sponsor them. In this aspect of social life as in all others, mahrams (male guardians) are a must.
A sociologist who works for a government hospital in Jeddah wanted to buy a car for herself. She had to ask her brothers to sponsor her, which they agreed to do; but, of course, they insisted on choosing which car.
This woman was delayed for almost a year, going from one brother to another as they decided on which model they wanted. In the end they were just picky and the car was not bought. Now the woman still has to depend on them to drop her and pick her up from work.
The logic behind this law is infuriating. If women are held responsible in their roles in the workplace and in the family, how come they cannot own cars without first gaining a relative’s permission?
A car dealer explained that the reasoning is that women sometimes cannot be reached if they fall behind on the monthly payment, since they are “sort of concealed from the general public”. This argument is contradicted by the fact that we have a women’s prison, which has many female offenders in it who have in fact been caught and dealt with. So the idea that women cannot be reached is simply not credible.
It is not only when it comes to buying cars that women face this kind of distrust. When it comes to getting something mundane like a mobile phone, a woman is deprived of having an international line unless she pays a deposit.
At one point a telephone company was even considering preventing women from being authorized a line in their own names, a decision which fortunately did not go through. Again the false reasoning was that “women don’t pay their bills”.
When granting ID cards as a sign of independence badly needed by Saudi women, the authorities asked a woman’s guardian to apply on her behalf and sign the application form as a proof of his approval. And what happens if a woman’s guardian — her husband or father does not agree that she should have an ID card. Then her identity remains concealed, represented only by a name written in her guardian’s family ID. This leaves huge potential for fraud.
When traveling abroad, a woman has to get the permission of her guardian even if she is old and her guardian, in the eye of the authorities, is in all practical terms dependent on her.
Examples abound of how women are not given enough leeway to live a normal life: From not being able to deal with official papers on their own to not being allowed to become a boss in charge of other Saudi men.
A senior medical staff member in a government hospital was complaining that, although she studied and worked for years in England and the US, when she came back here she was not given the opportunities for promotion she had been given abroad. Now she has to accept that a doctor with 20 years less experience must be appointed as her boss.
Whatever might be said about women and their right to decide on events and situations which define their lives, the fact remains that our society needs women as much as it needs men. For every woman who enjoys being pampered and does not want to assume any real kind of responsibility, another is eager for a chance to prove that she can be useful in serving her country. ([email protected])
