French consulate holds debate on issues facing women in Kingdom

The issues facing women in public spaces in the Kingdom came up for a lively discussion in the French Consulate, Jeddah, which was presented and mediated by the French sociologist Amelie Le Renard.
Le Renard delivered her lecture in French that initiated the debate in English and Arabic with the participation of a large number of Saudis and expatriates. The French sociologist summarized and provided her feedback on the study she conducted over the course of her visit to Riyadh, in which she met with young Saudi students, intellectuals, journalists, mothers, and representatives from several Saudi public institutions.
The study, which is also part of her doctoral research, entitled “Urban lifestyles and reinvention of feminity,” is a socio-political analysis of access to public spaces for young Saudi women in the capital Riyadh.
Le Renard explained how the Saudi society has changed after 2010, as women acquired greater freedoms; and the Internet as well as social networking platforms provided them with the opportunity to express themselves openly.
She lauded the Saudi government for empowering women in the professional fields and encouraging them to pursue higher education. However, she pointed out that despite these changes, Saudi women still face harassment and discrimination in public spaces. Some of the participants that contributed in the discussion expressed their appreciation of the candid talk and voiced the opinion that such studies distill the clichés that surround the Saudi society and especially the stereotypes harbored amongst some Westerners about women in the Kingdom.
The discussion took part on the sidelines of the release of Le Renard’s thesis publication, which is available in the French and Arabic languages, entitled ‘Females in the public sphere in Saudi Arabia.’
Le Renard is a sociologist and researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research in France (CNRS). She joined the Center Maurice Halbwachs PRO team in 2011 and has obtained double degree in social sciences. Her impressive resume also includes an invitation from Colombia University in New York to complete her PhD degree, as well as teaching part-time at the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and post-doctoral fellowship at the Freie Universität in Berlin.