Women policy problem and analysis in Saudi Arabia and USA
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Women policy problem and analysis in Saudi Arabia and USA
Executive summary
Following the Fourth World Conference on Women in the Beijing Declaration which was adopted in 1995, all the participating countries agreed to that declaration. The aim of the conference was to advocate for equality, development and peace for all women for the advancement of humanity (UNESCO, 200). This policy brief is aimed at assessing the goals advanced in this conference in Saudi Arabia and USA who were among the participants. This policy brief presents women policy problem and analysis both in Saudi Arabia and USA. It highlights the problem faced by women, including basic facts, the policies adopted and the improvements that need to be implemented. It therefore covers several policy measures that are undertaken in these countries and their effects. These problems revolve around women education, work, decision-making, health, violence against women and poverty (Steffensmeier & Allan, 1998). Women in Saudi Arabia are abused physically by men. This problem of abuse is perpetrated by men in the family realm where wives are battered by men. In Saudi Arabia men have the authority to abuse their wives without any intervention from the authority. Men could abuse their wives physically, verbally and emotionally. Women on the other hand have no intervention assistance since seeking divorce was made cumbersome for them. Women were also exploited sexually. In Saudi Arabia, women and children mostly from other countries are trafficked as domestic workers. There are no laws which protect the rights of these domestic workers. This makes women workers vulnerable to violence and sexual harassment. Furthermore, trafficked women are forced to engage in prostitution as to sustain themselves (Saudi Arabia Ministry of Economic Planning, 2005-2009). There were regulations which restricted the women freedom in Saudi Arabia. In terms of dressing, women were supposed to cover all the body parts except the hands and eyes. They were required to have a male guardian. According to this law, women should have a male guardian who could either be a husband, brother or father. Apparently, the guardian dominated the women in many ways. They gave women rights to marry, employment, education, travel among many other rights. This was very demeaning as it reduced women to slaves. Women were also segregated on gender basis. There were not allowed to mix with men in social places. In USA too, women were subjected to violence. There was domestic violence against women. Women in USA experienced physical assault and rape from their close partners. They were sexually harassed. All this kind of violence affects the women negatively by lowering their esteem. It also leads to stigmatization among women. As a result, they are unable to contribute to constructive activities in their communities. They are also unable to hold their job position leading to poverty. Violence may cause self withdraw among women making them to avoid schools, workplaces and other public places. Unfortunately, some violence is not reported due to fear of humiliation. Violence against women may also be assumed to be normal among other communities. In terms of employment, women are considered as homeworkers therefore job opportunities were preserved for men only (US General Accounting Office, 1999). Women are denied the rights of making major decisions. They were not involved in major government decision making process. They only relayed their grievances through the weekly ‘majlis’ which was a weekly meeting held by the king and the governor of each province in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Women had to write letters to their which were delivered by their male counterpart. In addition there were imbalances in government positions between men and women. They were prohibited from voting or vying for municipal councils public offices (Steffensmeier & Allan, 1998). Both in Saudi and USA, women are not fully involved in economic activities. They are not economically independent because they rely on men who are given an upper hand in the employment opportunities. This allows men to exploit them (Steffensmeier & Allan, 1998). However, Islamic laws give women ownership rights. It empowers women to own and manage properties which include real estate, inheritance and earn income. Women are restricted socially by Customs and religious values to earn income and own assets. Inheritance is dictated by the shari’a law which entitles women to earn the half of what men inherit from the deceased. Gender inequality in sectors of government and work places interferes with women ability to own and enjoy property rights. There are unnecessary regulations which aggravate the problem. In few years time a woman could not obtain a commercial license for her business. She can only hire a manager to manage her business in order to obtain a license (Saudi Arabia Ministry of Economic Planning, 2005-2009). Existing policies In the Saudi Arabia there are major policy interventions that are aimed at addressing the women. In terms of political life women were allowed to vote and be elected as leaders. In September 2011 King Abdullah cleared the way for women to be elected into the Consultative Assembly. In this current year there are thirty women elected into the Consultative assembly of Saudi Arabia. In addition they are allowed in to various government parastatals such as chamber of commerce and industry. The government also introduced identity cards for women. This allowed them to travel to other countries without male permission. It also enabled them to carry out various activities and enhanced their security as they are not easily forged. There are policies put in place that addressed the problem of domestic violence. In 2008, the prime minister of Saudi Arabia instituted a national strategy to deal with domestic violence he ordered the government to initiate education awareness programs aimed at alleviating domestic violence. Trafficking in women and girls was also abolished. The government implemented the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 that prevented recruitment, transportation or acquiring of a person for labor without their consent. In USA, anti-trafficking programs have been administered by the State Department in collaboration with other organization such as USAID. They instituted programs which aimed at assisting the victims, public awareness and enforcing laws that prohibited trafficking in persons (Steffensmeier & Allan, 1998). The U.S. government has implemented programs that aim to support women politically. For instance, President Bush initiated the Women’s Justice and Empowerment Initiative (WJEI) which improved the legal rights in women. Moreover, The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) funded various programs that aimed at empowering women in political issues. Despite all these interventions, gender equality continuous to be a problem both in USA and Saudi Arabia. The existing policies have not dealt with this challenge appropriately. Therefore there is the need to ensure women especially the marginalized fully access education, health care, employment as well as leadership and political opportunities. Saudi Arabia has continued to deport many workers who are then subjected to harsh working conditions (WHO, 2009). Strict sanctions should be imposed to those involved in such illegal activities to prevent illegal trafficking in person in these countries. References B. Pavlic, L. Ruprecht, and S. Sam-Vargas. Gender Equality and Equity: A Summary Review of UNESCO'sAccomplishments since the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995). Unit for the Promotion of theStatus of Women and Gender Equality, UNESCO, 2000. Retrieved from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001211/121145e.pdf. Saudi Arabia Ministry of Economic Planning. The Eighth Development Plan (2005-2009). Ministry of Economic Planning, Riyadh. 2005, Chap. 17 WHO. Promoting Gender Equality to Prevent Violence Against Women. (Series of Briefings on ViolencePrevention). WHO Press, 2009. Retrieved from www.who.int/violenceprevention/publications/en/index.html. Steffensmeier, D., & Allan, E. (1998). The nature of female offending: Patterns and explanations. In R. T. Zaplin(Ed.). Female offenders: Critical perspectives and effective interventions (pp. 5–29). Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen. US General Accounting Office. (1999). Women in prison: Sexual misconduct by correctional staff. Washington, DC:US General Accounting Office.