Katie Hunter |
On Tuesday, the so-called “kingdom” of Saudi Arabia marked a momentous occasion for all women by finally lifting the longstanding policy which banned them from driving, after decades of campaigning by rights groups and Saudi Activists since 1990. Saudi had been the final country in the world where women were prohibited from driving.
Coming into effect in June 2018, the new policy, announced live on television in the state and simultaneously through a media event in Washington D.C, is hoped to reverse the damage which the ban has done to the country’s reputation.
That’s right, the country’s reputation is what sparked them to make this seemingly thoughtful and, in some cases, life-changing reform. But that’s not all.
Saudi Leaders are hopeful that there will also be benefits for the economy. Firstly, it encourages woman to play a part in the workforce, thus bringing in an income leading to more money in the country’s pockets through taxation and spending. Also, as it stands, it is estimated that around 1 million foreign men are employed in Saudi Arabia as drivers, with many coming from South Asia and the Philippines, costing around $400-800 a month. With this new policy, many of these men will no longer be needed, meaning that significantly less of the country’s money will be sent to donor countries. Finally, car manufacturers are sure to benefit with many women in this very wealthy country requiring cars as well as insurance and driving lessons.
And still these women are unable to work, marry, study, travel or seek healthcare without permission from their “male guardians”. This is in a world where freedom of movement is, in fact, a universal right!
However, it would not be fair to imply that Saudi Arabia is the only country guilty of implementing anti-feminist laws. Many other counties have policies which treat women as inferior – in Nigeria, it is very much possible for a man to avoid facing any repercussions for assaulting his wife. In addition, just last year, nine women from Sudan were sentenced40 lashes for wearing trousers. This is, without a doubt, something which girls in many other parts of the world take from granted. Could you imagine having no say in what you wear? No chance to express yourself or feel comfortable in your own clothes?
I certainly couldn’t.
Of course, there have been many attempts to improve the situation for women in the past, one very memorable and successful example relates to the suffrage campaign in late 1800’s to the early 1900’s which ultimately led to women gaining the vote on the same basis as men in 1928. However, it may be best not to follow Emily Pankhurt’s approach, jumping under a horse may only encourage many to continue sharing the view that women have only half the brainpower of men! However, there are certainly some crucial changes that need to be made if we continue to have these high expectations that the world can and will become a place of complete equality in the future:
Firstly, we must put to bed the idea that a woman’s work should be domesticated. Although many believe this is a rather outdated idea, eight out of ten women still say they do more housework than their male partners. (https://www.newstatesman.com/v-spot/2013/05/five-main-issues-facing-modern-feminism)
Another very important change we must make is to ban the media from promoting sexist stereotypes such as females using cleaning products or males driving the latest cars in adverts. Fashion and man’s magazines must also stop objectifying women.
Unfortunately, there’s no overnight solution to lessen the severe impact that sexism has on the lives of women every single day, however, perhaps by pushing for the Government to see men and women as equals, we can achieve noticeable change like that of Saudi Arabia continue to be introduced during our lifetimes. The fate of our future daughters relies on us.
