Why is it that the international media seeks to make a damning negative out of the role of women in the Kingdom? The harsh truth is that, to speak frankly, international commentators are too lazy and too ignorant to even try to understand a conservative society that embraces high technology while still treasuring strong traditional values.
It is a sad reality of much of the world’s media that they choose to depict Saudi Arabia as somehow ‘backward’ in its approach to women. The restriction on female drivers is trotted out regularly as proof positive that this is the case. The reality of course, as everyone who lives in the Kingdom can attest, is very different. In the last few years Saudi women have taken an ever-more prominent role in society. The initial spur has been business. There are supremely successful and accomplished Saudi businesswomen. They have not been content to take a lesser role in the development of corporate Saudi. They may have started off in obviously female areas such as fashion and accessories, but it did not take long before Saudi women were running some of the Kingdom’s most successful and diverse companies.
In North America and Europe, there are frequent references to the existence of a "glass ceiling." Thrusting female executives find it difficult, if not actually impossible to progress beyond a certain level. Saudi Arabia has been no different. In a world that has long been dominated in both political and business terms by males, the arrival of thrusting female executives was something of a shock to the system. Reaction in the Kingdom to the rise of the corporate female was based on an internationally-shared norm. Saudis are not more guilty of sex discrimination than Americans or Europeans.
But what is lacking in America and Europe are the core principles that have been foundational in the role of Saudi women in society. These roles in the Kingdom have indeed been influenced by conservative values. But they have also been informed by an underpinning of absolute respect for the traditional role that women play in Saudi Arabia. Those who wish to bad-mouth our country, insist that women are oppressed and downtrodden. This may be a surprise to most Saudi husbands. From as long as anyone can remember, the leading role in the home has been of women. One top Saudi businessman said last year that whenever he had to make a very difficult decision, he sat down with his wife and talked it through.
The fact that Saudi women have emerged in their own right in business and commerce, should hardly be surprising. With outstanding educational facilities such as the Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, female Saudi students are matching, if not actually exceeding, the educational attainments of their male peers. The Kingdom has long recognized the economic and social contribution that women can make to its prosperity. Their talents are crucial to the development of a vibrant nonoil economy.
Therefore there really is no ‘gee-wizz’ factor to the reality that women are going to be taking part, as both candidates and electors in the upcoming municipal elections. Those who insist that the Kingdom is introvert and deeply conservative are entirely wrong. Women already play an important role in the Kingdom’s Shoura Council, where their invaluable contribution has been recognized.
This December’s municipal elections are a carefully-judged political and administrative development. It remains to be seen how many female candidates will put their names forward during the registration process. There are no fixed quotas for male or female candidates. The only requirements are that they must be over 25 and hold a high school diploma. A preliminary list of those running will be published at the end of September. The final list comes out on Nov. 19. Voter registration is already under way. Foreign commentators can be expected to focus on the election in the coming months. If past coverage is any guide, much of the reporting will be ill-informed. But wiser pundits will see the whole process for what it really is. They will appreciate that the election is a quiet evolution in a country where women are accorded the same respect as men.
Saudi women’s important role
