New wonder of the world: Saudi to build women-only city
Saudi Arabia is increasingly coming under pressure for its discriminative gender policies. Internationally it faces criticisms and attacks from governments, activists and human rights groups, leading to the country's first women delegations in the recent London Olympic. Domestically, almost 60% of Saudi university graduates are women, but 78.3% of them are unemployed, resulting in massive skilled labor shortage problems.
Women in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian psychologist Elham Hassan said getting an education then failing to find a job has a very negative impact on both individuals and society. “Families see education as an investment because they know that their children will later work and help them with expenses,” she said.
But when graduates are just added to the long list of the jobless, they themselves start suffering from psychological problems that can eventually lead to suicide or crime, and their families and the entire society suffer financially.
“The unemployment problem among women... is mainly due to social customs. The Labor Ministry alone will not be able to solve the unemployment problem. It requires joint efforts of families, schools, individuals and social institutions," Abdul Wahid Al-Humoud, deputy minister of Labor said.
Saudi women at the beach
Saudi female graduates in scientific and other fields have said they have remained unemployed because most of the jobs in these fields go to their male counterparts due to social stigma. "Most jobs are awarded to male applicants first because of the social belief that men are more socially entitled to a job since they must bear the cost of getting married and supporting a family,” said Rania Ibrahim, a Saudi graduate in English Language Studies from King Abdul-Aziz University (KAAU).
“However, women too have the right to work and play an active role in society, but are rarely given a chance." She added that when open-minded, supportive parents allow their daughter to marry a less-than-supportive husband after graduation, it also leads to women's unemployment. "I know many friends who have graduated and then gotten married only to be told by their new husband that he forbids her from working and that she should stay home, have children and take care of marital duties," Rania said.
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia are defined by religion and tribal customs. The Arabian peninsula is the ancestral home of patriarchal, nomadic tribes, in which purdah (separation of women and men) and namus (honour) are considered central. All women, regardless of age, are required to have a male guardian. Saudi Arabia is also the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. Saudi women cannot decide where to work or study, who to marry or whether to leave the house on their own.
Separate entrances for McDonalds in Saudi Arabia
Saudi activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider compares the nation's male guardianship system to slavery. "The ownership of a woman is passed from one man to another. Ownership of the woman is passed from the father or the brother to another man, the husband. The woman is merely a piece of merchandise, which is passed over to someone else - her guardian."
The absurdity of the guardianship system, according to Huwaider, is shown by what would happen if she tried to remarry: "I would have to get the permission of my son." When her husband passed away, the ownership of her would be passed to her son.
Women rights, women employment, women mobility and gender segregation - these issues have long plagued Saudi Arabia. But now it has finally figured out a solution to this dilemma.
City of no man
The world is awed by Saudi Arabia's innovative answer to gender separation, after it announces plan to build a new city exclusively for women, combining strict Sharia law with career minded females who pursue works. The tasks is delegated to Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon), who has been asked to bring the country at par with the rest of the modern world by building the all-women city, with the construction to begin next year, according to Saudi media report.
It is hoped that the new city will allow women to work without defying the country's strict Islamic laws. The no man's land would be built in the Eastern city of Hafuf and is expected to attract 500 million riyals in investments, creating around 5,000 jobs for women in the textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries.
Saudi Arabia already has separate schools for both genders, segregated universities, not to mention separate offices, restaurants and even separate entrances for public buildings. Now that a gender-specific city is to be built, the separation may be deemed complete.
This will serve as security check at city entrance - no men allowed
The new plan paved way for intense debates. Conservative clerics in Saudi Arabia say that Islam does not allow women and men to mix at work, and the ruling authorities explain that segregation is part of Saudi culture. Islamic feminists however, pointed out that Prophet Muhammad himself was married to a businesswoman – with no need to hide in an all-women city. They argued that an ancient culture that does not just segregate women, but enshrines in law that they are second-class citizens, is hardly one worth preserving.
The plan coincides with the governments ambitions to get women to play a more active part in the development of the country, and to reduce dependency on foreign expatriates. 'I'm sure that women can demonstrate their efficiency in many aspects and clarify the industries that best suits their interests, their nature and their ability', Modon’s deputy director-general, Saleh Al-Rasheed, told Saudi daily newspaper al-Eqtisadiah.
Saudi Sharia law does not ban women to work, and there are factories owned by women. But figures show only 15% of the total workforce is female, compared to 51% in the U.S. and 45% in Europe. Last month, a poll revealed that nearly two-thirds (65%) of working women in Saudi Arabia were looking to achieve greater financial independence through their careers. The survey conducted by YouGov and Bayt.com, found the second most-cited reason was being able to financially contribute to the household.
Will Saudi Arabia break up into two - male and female zones?
In a statement published by Saudi Press Agency, it said that Prince Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, had approved the plan. Al-Rashid added that the agency is currently working to establish a second female industrial city elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, even the first is yet to be built. ''We have plans to establish a number of women-only cities throughout the kingdom''.
No man will enter, really.... no man
Source:
http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-ar ... ies-2012-8
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcu ... sfeed=true
http://www.care2.com/causes/saudi-arabi ... ities.html
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a ... 765551.ece
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/saudi- ... 6449383578
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/908390-saud ... -only-city
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml
http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/08/10/ ... Cm-kaAdPkY
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/08 ... only-city/
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/world/s ... 6449383578
http://www.arabnews.com/social-customs- ... en-jobless
http://news.oneindia.in/2012/08/13/saud ... 52744.html
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/ ... 20016.html
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-pl ... 68796.html
Last edited by mevotex on Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Saudi Arabia is increasingly coming under pressure for its discriminative gender policies. Internationally it faces criticisms and attacks from governments, activists and human rights groups, leading to the country's first women delegations in the recent London Olympic. Domestically, almost 60% of Saudi university graduates are women, but 78.3% of them are unemployed, resulting in massive skilled labor shortage problems.
Women in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian psychologist Elham Hassan said getting an education then failing to find a job has a very negative impact on both individuals and society. “Families see education as an investment because they know that their children will later work and help them with expenses,” she said.
But when graduates are just added to the long list of the jobless, they themselves start suffering from psychological problems that can eventually lead to suicide or crime, and their families and the entire society suffer financially.
“The unemployment problem among women... is mainly due to social customs. The Labor Ministry alone will not be able to solve the unemployment problem. It requires joint efforts of families, schools, individuals and social institutions," Abdul Wahid Al-Humoud, deputy minister of Labor said.
Saudi women at the beach
Saudi female graduates in scientific and other fields have said they have remained unemployed because most of the jobs in these fields go to their male counterparts due to social stigma. "Most jobs are awarded to male applicants first because of the social belief that men are more socially entitled to a job since they must bear the cost of getting married and supporting a family,” said Rania Ibrahim, a Saudi graduate in English Language Studies from King Abdul-Aziz University (KAAU).
“However, women too have the right to work and play an active role in society, but are rarely given a chance." She added that when open-minded, supportive parents allow their daughter to marry a less-than-supportive husband after graduation, it also leads to women's unemployment. "I know many friends who have graduated and then gotten married only to be told by their new husband that he forbids her from working and that she should stay home, have children and take care of marital duties," Rania said.
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia are defined by religion and tribal customs. The Arabian peninsula is the ancestral home of patriarchal, nomadic tribes, in which purdah (separation of women and men) and namus (honour) are considered central. All women, regardless of age, are required to have a male guardian. Saudi Arabia is also the only country in the world that prohibits women from driving. Saudi women cannot decide where to work or study, who to marry or whether to leave the house on their own.
Separate entrances for McDonalds in Saudi Arabia
Saudi activist Wajeha Al-Huwaider compares the nation's male guardianship system to slavery. "The ownership of a woman is passed from one man to another. Ownership of the woman is passed from the father or the brother to another man, the husband. The woman is merely a piece of merchandise, which is passed over to someone else - her guardian."
The absurdity of the guardianship system, according to Huwaider, is shown by what would happen if she tried to remarry: "I would have to get the permission of my son." When her husband passed away, the ownership of her would be passed to her son.
Women rights, women employment, women mobility and gender segregation - these issues have long plagued Saudi Arabia. But now it has finally figured out a solution to this dilemma.
City of no man
The world is awed by Saudi Arabia's innovative answer to gender separation, after it announces plan to build a new city exclusively for women, combining strict Sharia law with career minded females who pursue works. The tasks is delegated to Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon), who has been asked to bring the country at par with the rest of the modern world by building the all-women city, with the construction to begin next year, according to Saudi media report.
It is hoped that the new city will allow women to work without defying the country's strict Islamic laws. The no man's land would be built in the Eastern city of Hafuf and is expected to attract 500 million riyals in investments, creating around 5,000 jobs for women in the textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries.
Saudi Arabia already has separate schools for both genders, segregated universities, not to mention separate offices, restaurants and even separate entrances for public buildings. Now that a gender-specific city is to be built, the separation may be deemed complete.
This will serve as security check at city entrance - no men allowed
The new plan paved way for intense debates. Conservative clerics in Saudi Arabia say that Islam does not allow women and men to mix at work, and the ruling authorities explain that segregation is part of Saudi culture. Islamic feminists however, pointed out that Prophet Muhammad himself was married to a businesswoman – with no need to hide in an all-women city. They argued that an ancient culture that does not just segregate women, but enshrines in law that they are second-class citizens, is hardly one worth preserving.
The plan coincides with the governments ambitions to get women to play a more active part in the development of the country, and to reduce dependency on foreign expatriates. 'I'm sure that women can demonstrate their efficiency in many aspects and clarify the industries that best suits their interests, their nature and their ability', Modon’s deputy director-general, Saleh Al-Rasheed, told Saudi daily newspaper al-Eqtisadiah.
Saudi Sharia law does not ban women to work, and there are factories owned by women. But figures show only 15% of the total workforce is female, compared to 51% in the U.S. and 45% in Europe. Last month, a poll revealed that nearly two-thirds (65%) of working women in Saudi Arabia were looking to achieve greater financial independence through their careers. The survey conducted by YouGov and Bayt.com, found the second most-cited reason was being able to financially contribute to the household.
Will Saudi Arabia break up into two - male and female zones?
In a statement published by Saudi Press Agency, it said that Prince Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, had approved the plan. Al-Rashid added that the agency is currently working to establish a second female industrial city elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, even the first is yet to be built. ''We have plans to establish a number of women-only cities throughout the kingdom''.
No man will enter, really.... no man
Source:
http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-ar ... ies-2012-8
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcu ... sfeed=true
http://www.care2.com/causes/saudi-arabi ... ities.html
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/a ... 765551.ece
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/saudi- ... 6449383578
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/908390-saud ... -only-city
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml
http://www.thenewstribe.com/2012/08/10/ ... Cm-kaAdPkY
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/08 ... only-city/
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/world/s ... 6449383578
http://www.arabnews.com/social-customs- ... en-jobless
http://news.oneindia.in/2012/08/13/saud ... 52744.html
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/ ... 20016.html
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/saudi-pl ... 68796.html
Last edited by mevotex on Tue Aug 14, 2012 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
