Saudi Arabia: Women: Small Steps Taken Where Giant Strides Needed

Saudi women today celebrate the inauguration of women’s sections at the Riyadh and Jeddah mayoralties. One hundred and twenty women in each city now officially take charge of municipal services for women after being provided with extensive training to qualify them for their posts.

The sections have started functioning in four municipalities in both Jeddah and Riyadh regions.

This follows the successful initiative to allow women to sit in the board of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). Women in Jeddah have been better supported and have proven their capabilities as elected and appointed board members. The Jeddah chamber also established the Khadijah Bint Khowailed Center, which caters to working women and women in business.

The center is run by women, and its role is to facilitate programs that support working women and provide feasibility studies for their business endeavors. The women in the chamber have outlined many procedural obstacles that hamper their investments and, therefore, exclude them from contributing toward the economic development of their country.

They have also submitted a petition to the minister of commerce and industry calling for the elimination of the male guardian, who is imposed to run their businesses and to process their paperwork with government agencies. That rule has allowed many guardians to exploit the businesses of women and delay their work. Moreover, they called on the minister to allow women to be members of the board of directors of their family-owned companies, as well as to chair their boards. These women who have assumed leadership positions in the chamber have proven their professionalism and expertise to support their sisters in society and have been successful in creating better opportunities to help shape a better future for the next generation.

The experiences of businesswomen in Riyadh and the Eastern Province unfortunately have been very disappointing. Although they are no less capable or no less enthusiastic to serve, they have neither been given the support nor the backing they need from the community to be included as board members in their chambers of commerce.

Another lost opportunity for women was the ban on women running in the 2006 municipal elections. They are still hopeful to run in the next elections.

The media in the Kingdom have recognized women’s untapped potential and are constantly engaged in raising public awareness about the benefits of enabling women who are qualified to hold leadership positions in government and in the work force. Women in the media have been very vocal in their demands for better opportunities to address the concerns of women in Saudi society.

Saudi women today face as many challenges as they have aspirations. Although there are some who stubbornly argue that our women are content and satisfied with their lives, many others continue to protest the discriminatory policies that marginalize qualified women and exclude them from taking on leadership positions. Unfortunately, those who refuse to aspire to a better life for women continue to brainwash our youth and spread their poison toward women who wish to control their own destinies and make their own ways, which will contribute to the welfare of our society.

This frustrating debate has not hindered the determination of the educated and progressive women to remain optimistic and enthusiastic to have their voices heard and their demands fulfilled. There are those who have had an opportunity to speak with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, and there are those who have debated their issues at the National Dialogue Forums. Forum participants have called for the establishment of a higher commission for women’s affairs that would have direct contact with the ministers concerned and the king in order to address the growing needs and challenges facing women today. Perhaps these recent municipal moves are the first step toward realizing that dream.

Women have also called for representation on the Shoura Council so they can influence change and development. Others have also asked for inclusion on the board of the newly established Human Rights Commission in order to ensure women get the rights that their faith guarantees and their faith-based government also should guarantee.

Women should also have a role in correcting the situations of women victims and underprivileged women.

Our nation has taken some tiny steps to eradicate these iniquities, but giant strides are needed. Those strides will not be made without the support of all the people, and that is what is missing.

We need every qualified citizen man and woman to contribute to our nation’s progress and development. Educated and qualified women must be given the chance to play a role in modernizing our government and society. It is high time we work together as patriotic Saudis, men and women, to upgrade antiquated systems and replace the obsolete laws and regulations that hinder the progress of our economy and the development of our nation.

When we marginalize women who are qualified and ready to serve, or when we refuse to acknowledge that 54 percent of our college graduates are women who are treated as second-class citizens, we only ensure a bleak future as more competitive nations capitalize on our inability to come to terms with modern reality. The failure to serve the modern- day needs for all citizens destroys the dreams and aspirations of our youth who represent more than 60 percent of our population. It also alienates many of the brightest, who need only to leave our borders behind to get the guarantees of fair play and liberty, the merits of which are leisurely discussed here.

Marginalizing women in our society marginalizes our society. Positive policies that could ensure effective participation of women should be put in place. Our government could use its authority to allocate one-third of the seats in the boards of the chambers of commerce for women. The Shoura Council could have an equal share of seats for women. Such initiatives can pave the way for a more effective participation of women and allow the qualified to act as role models for our future generation.

We cannot afford to wait until our society can reach a consensus that allows women to be part of the decision-making process, and our government should have the will to act decisively and not wait for a delayed consensus.

The appointment of women in municipal councils is a step in the right direction. Let us hope that our government will continue to move forward and appoint women in the Shoura Council. After all, our society cannot progress with half of its qualified people sitting on the sidelines.

Samar Fatany, Arab News