Being a woman myself, I can be very surprised when I read news like the article in the New York Times about Saudi Arabia granting the right to vote to women. Being born into and brought up in a society where women have suffrage and can run for office, this issue is not necessarily something that I think about every day; therefore, I am taken aback when something makes me remember that there are countries where this is not the case.
Saudi Arabian women were granted the right to vote and nominate themselves in future elections on Sunday. The catalysts of this reform were the Arab Spring, social media, the women of Saudi Arabia, and the fact that this issue made the country a source of international joke, as Hatoon al-Fassi, a women history professor claimed.
However, they will not be able to live with their rights till the 2015 elections, as municipal elections are scheduled for this coming Thursday and the act will not be in effect by then. Other critiques of the reform claim that by making women members of the Majlis Al-Shura does not give them real power. The Majlis Al-Shura is an advisory body, which only deals with public policy.
Nevertheless, it is still an important step in a country where women need a man in their lives to arrange any public affair. Women see this as an important first step to greater freedom, but they still want to have more rights. They are very hopeful about more possible changes and reforms in the future.
- Adrienn Szlapak
I completely agree with you in that even if the women of Saudi Arabia are not able to feel the effects of this ruling in the immediate future, it is still a step in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteIn a country where "leaders draw legitimacy from their role as protectors of the Islamic holy sites in Mecca and Medina" (http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/a/abdullah_bin_abdul_aziz_alsaud/index.html?inline=nyt-per), it is difficult for the people to have a say, and to take action. However, as you mentioned, it is promising that social media and the women themselves did play a role in this decision.
In a country where women are still not legally allowed to drive, though, there is still a long way to go.
In a survey of the best and worst countries for women, Saudi Arabi actually ranked 147 of 165 which means that there are many states in which action needs to be taken. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/09/20/best-and-worst-countries-for-women-the-full-list.html)
I almost wonder if the majority of us who have not had to deal with such discrimination forget how lucky we are and should be putting in more of an effort to help people like the women of Saudi Arabia.
- Danielle Foster
Wow. I remember when this story came out and I just thought why has it taken so long for women to get voting rights or any rights for that matter in this modern age. I understand that many countries, as Danielle pointed out, are worse countries for women but at the same time, this needs to change. Sometimes I wonder why many women still have to rely on men to be their voicebox, driver and their guider (since in many countries women cannot leave their homes without their husbands, father or brother). I use to believe, for my own sanity, that it is because (other than what Quranic Fatwahs preach) women are so strong willed and that they might realize that they do not need a man to do anything for them. That they might actually not want to be a house wife but actually run for president and make change in their homelands. Even though we have not experienced such discrimination, I agree that we need to be grateful of all the opportunities that we have and that we have to help others receive the rights that we have and that are for everyone to have, not just men because their is nothing more special about men then women. I do not want to sound overly feminist but something has to change and these is a great step in the right direction for women in Saudi Arabia. Maybe this change will show women that are neighboring to Saudi that change is possible and fuel them to strive to make a change as well.
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