In spite of the best efforts by the United Nations and other international organizations, we are yet to see perceptible changes in the condition of women. The last UNDP report on development in the Middle East presents an alarming picture of the worsening political, economic and social and human rights conditions in the region. The latest report on Saudi Arabia issued in January 2009 also gives a gloomy picture as far as the rights of women are concerned.
This may be one reason why the recent government reshuffle in the Kingdom has attracted much local and international attention. The appointment, for the first time, of a woman minister is an indication that we recognize the role the women can and should play if our country is to forge ahead with development plans.
Men and women assume different roles that evolved gradually and vary from one society to another. To bridge these differences, full equality should be granted to both in terms of access to all levels of education, health services, job market and public service up to the highest decision-making levels. Research findings show gender inequality tends to slow economic growth and makes the rise from poverty more difficult for the developing nations since women constitute half of the world’s population. Unfortunately, efforts to reduce inequalities between men and women are hampered by sociopolitical, legal, and administrative factors.
There are major challenges that should be addressed if this region wants sustained development and the top one is building a strategic vision about the role women can play in a modern society without compromising the essence of religious values, not the local customs and myths.
The lack of common strategies to lobby for social progress as the basis for economic growth is another challenge. The main reason for this is we still lack civil societies with an ability to influence social and legal reforms. For examples, businesswomen lobby successfully to get more rights in the Chambers of Commerce, women writers and university professors launch campaigns to increase society’s awareness of gender issues. These efforts are valuable but sporadic and more coordination is needed among various women groups. There are only a small number of NGOs in the Kingdom due to red tape and bureaucratic restrictions. Effective and transparent NGOs will enhance formal and informal dialogue with domestic centers of power including religious authorities and their administrative bodies to ensure partnering in the transformation of society.
Sadly, some societies do not acknowledge the existence of gender inequality and consider women to be financially and legally dependent on men. This is the case in most of the Arab countries.
The judicial system and arbitrary rulings, especially in civil cases, is based on outdated assumptions about women’s status in society and need to be revisited by policy-makers and changed to suit modern realities.
Governments’ noncompliance with UN declarations constitutes a big challenge. The UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and other initiatives are rarely mentioned in the media. These valuable programs need to be clearly communicated to women to educate them about their rights.
Another factor is the rising unemployment in the Arab countries due to lack of economic growth. This reduces opportunities for women even in the low-paying jobs, traditionally reserved for them. There is a misconception that increased participation by women in economic activities would raise unemployment. On the contrary, incorporating more women into the work force would re-energize the stagnant economic cycle and enhance stability at the sociopolitical levels by creating more demand for commodities and services.
Lastly, the private and public sectors in this region are highly centralized and characterized by red tape and weak accountability measures. This makes the task of launching administrative reforms very challenging if not a nightmare, and makes it difficult to coordinate with the local offices of UN and other international aid agencies and participate in their initiatives and programs and benefit financially and logistically.
All in all, women should be proactive in transforming their economic, social, political, and cultural realities, as well as more active in public and political areas. History tells us that legal and political rights are not given on a platter but won after hard fight. In this context, it is heartening to note the strong drive in Qatar and UAE to push for the advancement of women.
In conclusion, gender diversity and equality would only arise as a byproduct of more profound changes in the culture. Values of “Belongings”, mostly attributed to women, should be integrated and given equal importance as the values of “Enterprise”, mostly associated with men. Once this equilibrium is reached women’s contribution, either working from their homes or through joining the labor market, will be recognized.
History shows small incremental steps lead to transformational changes. No one thought that the US was ready for a black president. If the US elected the son of a black immigrant as its president, Saudi Arabia is more than ready to have women as ministers and members of the Shoura Council.
