The talk of the town for a whole week was a program entitled “Saudi Women Speak Out”, which dealt with Saudi women and their problems. The program, broadcast on a satellite TV channel, featured interviews with eight Saudi women in an unprecedented event on Arabic TV.
The discussion was an open one that started off slowly but gathered speed and generated heat as the participants became more bold in talking about public issues and the status of women in Saudi Arabia.
A social worker at a Jeddah hospital was apprehensive when she saw the program. She felt that it was something new that women could not only appear on TV but also speak honestly and frankly. The obvious response to her is that it is about time to be open in voicing our problems and feelings.
Saudi women have always been afraid and wary of voicing complaints and because of the country’s social structure, all their complaints have been channeled through men. This might have worked in the past but today in the 21st century with the increased population and the need for women’s actual participation in almost all areas of public life, speaking out is no longer the exclusive preserve of a few brave and daring souls who could accept censure and public disapproval.
If the program showed anything, it was that Saudi women have many faces. The well-known one of hidden identities and lives of the rich and spoiled was set beside one of independent working women who have opinions — and strong ones too — about their lives, social situations and the country’s affairs. Denial was set aside and we were faced with what bothers us, how our educational system is failing, how in the name of religion intolerance is planted in our children and how we need more public and political female participants because a woman’s say is vital in deciding her own affairs.
One of the participants said, “Rights are not given, we have to ask for them,” and another one stressed the importance of speaking out and being listened to. At least on this program, women spoke out; now we must work on being listened to.
As much as the participants were striving for candor in their discussions, they nonetheless came from only one social level: The well-off to the rich. Certainly when the discussion was about domestic help, nannies, vacationing in the West or extravagant shopping sprees, the women knew what they were talking about. Conspicuous consumption is still very much a part of our culture though not of our religion.
When the presenter asked the woman about the image of Saudi women as spoiled, rich or at least affluent, most of them tried to sidestep the issue saying that they were in fact better off than many of their sisters whose views and opinions were not presented. It is good to present your best side but to be frank about who we are might be more beneficial.
While this program achieved its goal in its discussions of certain sections of our society that have been sidelined for a long time, one hopes that other programs will follow and explore other Saudi women. After all, not every Saudi woman is rich, married, has a good job, is well- educated and has many choices in her life.
