Vindication of the Right of Saudi Arabian Women

In this paper, I will argue for the right of Saudi Arabian women. They deserve equal rights to men, including freedom to dress as they like and freedom to be involved with equal opportunities. The hindering of these rights have put a tremendous hold on the potential progress for Saudi Arabian women. These women deserve to not only have these basic human rights, but to be viewed and treated as an equal human to men. Saudi Arabian women have been treated as subhumans, categorized into a more restricted and less valued group. Their attire is one of the tools the government uses to hinder the women’s freedom. Women are held to a much more scrutinous dress code than the men are. They are required to wear an abaya, which is a long clock along with a veil. The restrictions on not allowing a woman to have slits in her veil or embellishments on it is hindering their rights. Men are not held to the same level of restrictions. The restrictions on women’s clothing is based around the idea that the temptations of the seducturuous female body. is too much for a man to handle. This means that women are not allowed to try clothes on at the store. Women should have the equal right to try on clothes in a dressing room at a store to see how something feels on them before buying it. Your appearance is what people see first, the ability to manage your appearance in a way that makes one feel most comfortable and good should be an equal right for both men and women. In addition to putting harsher dress code regulations on women, there is still a good deal of gender segregation. From sports to education, women are not given the same rights to the same opportunities as men. Only recently have women been allowed as spectators to a typically all male sporting arena. Even still, women lack the right to spectate a sport with a male companion. Time spent with men they aren’t related to must be very limited. They have male guardians such as their father, uncle or husband. They are treated as if inferior to men.

This lack of equal rights and the dramatic restraints and regulations harms the Saudi Arabian women. These women loose their sense of identity and risk getting viewed as an object of a subcategory. Women have a male guardian they can not do much without. Their lack of voice and small box they are pushed into, put them at a higher risk of domestic violence. They are already being put in an inferior position to men, making it easier for men to take advantage of them and hurt them. This is harming not only the women but also the men and the country as a whole. By putting so much effort into trying to regulate and control the women, the men are taking time and energy that could better go into finding ways to better their country. Saudi Arabian women deserve these rights because they are basic human rights. Women and men are both humans and both deserve the same rights. Giving women equal rights to men and allowing them to go throughout life without needing a male guardian, and having freedom to add a little self representation and expression in their attire, and further to go and do as they please. As small as it may seem to have the freedom to go to the mall on your own and then try something on in the dressing room at the store, having options to choose from on what to wear. The ability to go to any sporting events, participate in any sporting events, go to any schools (which would mean allowing women to get educated under male teachers). Allowing women to learn more would allow their reason and virtue to grow. This could further help reverse the harm done to the society as a whole by teaching them to respect and honor each other.

Arguing this to someone that does not agree with Saudi Arabian women having these rights, I would refer to the Qur’an and Article 1 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). In reference to the regulations on veiling and dress code for women, the Qur’an requires the veil for modesty, yet men are not held to the same scrutiny when it comes to upholding a perfectly ‘modest’ dress code.

“Article 1 of CEDAW defines 'discrimination against women' as:

Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.” (Mtango, 2004) In reference to the CEDAW, Saudi Arabia is not following the guidelines by giving more leniency to men on what they can wear while putting tighter restrictions on what women can wear, or how they can alter their outfits. Saudi Arabian women not only deserve these rights but it could help improve the quality of Saudi Arabia as a whole.

Bibliography

1. Mtango, S. (2004). A State of Oppression? Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia. Asia-Pacific Journal on Human Rights and the Law, 5(1), pp.49-67.