The following news item appeared in various Saudi newspapers: “Women and underage people have been permitted to travel to GCC countries with their ID cards and guardians’ permission.”
The press usually uses this style of writing to notify the general public about new developments relating to women. However, there is always a connection between women-related issues and the official procedures relating to underage people. The connection with underage people implies that women are also perhaps immature and irresponsible.
I am not just addressing the issue of traveling, I am talking about the mental perception that some media outlets project about women in our society. This article is addressed to certain individuals in our community. Doubting and suspecting a woman’s competency as an adult is one of the most disgraceful acts that could be committed by one section of our society against another.
Generally speaking, the oppression of women is not just a result of imposing social boundaries; in fact, there are a series of meanings, words, and sayings that are repeated in a way that interferes and affects a woman’s daily life. These work in a subconscious way to degrade the image of women and end up marginalizing their role in life.
The question remains whether it is fair to compare women to underage people?
Many women over the age of 30 have been able to establish families, manage colleges and universities, and head scientific institutes and major companies. Some women deal with huge numbers of people and patients in the medical field. Having taken this into consideration one needs to question whether it is appropriate for a woman to be compared to other underage people in the media and in government diktats.
One needs to question who created this type of doubt and suspicion on the abilities and position of women. How could this happen when Islam has honored women in many ways for centuries?
Doubting a woman’s ability is a recurrent behavior passing from one generation to another through meanings and sayings. These ideas are also now being disseminated through media outlets. Not giving a woman the confidence or trust to manage her personal daily life doesn’t reflect positively on her role as a key partner in the development of society for the better.
