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Saudi Arabian woman were first able to drive in June of 2018

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Saudi Arabia on a map

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Saudi Arabia is ranked 138 out of 144 countries for the most gender equal (144 being the lowest)

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Women in Saudi Arabia are required to wear floor-length garments called Abayas in public.

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“The 10 Worst Countries for Gender Equality, Ranked by Perception.” U.S. News &amp; World Report, U.S. News &amp; World Report, www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/the-10-worst-countries-for-gender-equality-ranked-by-perception?slide=11.

Afp. “Saudi Arabia Gender Gap Index.” Eyewitness News, 22 June 2018, ewn.co.za/2018/06/22/saudi-arabia-gender-gap-index.

Al Jazeera. “The Saudi Women Detained for Demanding Basic Human Rights.” GCC News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 29 Nov. 2018, www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/saudi-women-detained-demanding-basic-human-rights-181129113259702.html.

AL-RASHEED, MADAWI. “Saudi Activists - Who Are They and What Do They Want?” New Internationalist, no. 490, Mar. 2016, p. 18. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=112857422.

Baker, Aryn. “Keys to the Kingdom: What the Future Looks like for Saudi Arabia’s Women.” Time International (South Pacific Edition), vol. 192, no. 2, July 2018, p. 26. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aqh&AN=133108470.

“Britain Should Stand Up for Saudi Women Activists.” Human Rights Watch, 20 Dec. 2018, www.hrw.org/news/2018/12/19/britain-should-stand-saudi-women-activists.

“Human Rights Watch.” Human Rights Watch, www.hrw.org/.

Butters, Andrew Lee. “Saudi’s Small Steps.” Time International (South Pacific Edition), vol. 174, no. 15, Oct. 2009, p. 22. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=44735310.

Marshallsea, Trevor. “Activists Call on Australia to Accept Fleeing Saudi Woman.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 8 Jan. 2019, abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/activists-call-australia-accept-fleeing-saudi-woman-60225036.

Schwartz, Matthew S., et al. “Saudi Woman Seeks Asylum, Fears Family Will Kill Her, OK To Stay In Thailand For Now.” NPR, NPR, 7 Jan. 2019, www.npr.org/2019/01/07/682806075/saudi-teen-seeks-asylum-fears-family-will-kill-her.

SMITH, PATRICIA, and Ben Hubbard. “Wheels of Progress. (Cover Story).” New York Times Upfront, Oct. 2017, p. 4. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=126142431.

World, Tribes of the. “Saudi Women Walk inside the Faysalia Shopping Centre in Riyadh.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 9 Nov. 2013, www.flickr.com/photos/92278137@N04/10755450904.

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I take the first step outside and into the street, sitting next to my house is a car. It’s old, scratch marks covering its black surface. and I know that many people have driven in it, and it won’t last much longer. But to me, it’s perfect. Today is the first day that women are allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia. I got my license yesterday, and I can’t stop looking my name on the front. Other women have those cards too, and other women will be getting in cars for the first time to drive. I walk to the edge of the sidewalk and open the car door. Women don’t have many rights in Saudi, a few decades ago, multiple women were arrested for protesting their right to drive. I feel proud of how far we’ve come, but we still have a long way to go. I lower myself into the driver's seat and close the door. I feel myself smile. Even if we have a long way to go, we’re at least starting with this step. I start the engine and slowly begin to drive down the empty street.

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D. What is currently being done to address the problem?

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D. What is currently being done to address the problem?

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As a result of numerous protests from both Saudi women and international governments and women’s rights activists, women are slowly, but surely, gaining more rights in Saudi. For example, in the summer of 2018 women were allowed to drive for the first time in Saudi history. This action gave hope to many people both in and out of the country. Women were also first being able to vote in 2015. There was a 50,000 to 500,000 increase of women in the workforce in the span of 5 years, along with mixed-gender workplaces becoming more common in Saudi. Education rights are also quickly changing in Saudi, and hopefully, we’ll see more changes to come. There is still a lot to be done, however, and organizations like HWR (Human Rights Watch) are helping to make that change.

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C. Why should the rest of the world be concerned about this issue?

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C. Why should the rest of the world be concerned about this issue?

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Unlike the US, multiple countries are gender-segregated, but Saudi Arabia is ranked one of the most gender-segregated counties in the world, India, Algeria, and Malaysia are also included in the category. Many countries have addressed this issue, but Saudi seems to be moving slower than others have. A recent problem is that women from Saudi are trying to leave and seek asylum in neighboring countries. The Saudi Arabian government is stopping these women from leaving, like in the case of Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, who tried to seek asylum in Thailand to get away from her abusive family. Rahaf opened the eyes of many people when she tweeted about her problem in early January of this year. With the help of many people from many different countries, Rahaf was able to stay in Thailand. Hopefully, more changes can be made if more countries come together as they did in the case of Rahaf.

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B. How has the problem affected the community directly?

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B. How has the problem affected the community directly?

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Most women in Saudi have to face discrimination daily, because of laws that diminish their rights. As a woman in Saudi, you wouldn’t be able to do most things without permission from a male relative or guardian, whether that be your father, brother, or someone that was hired to look after you, you must ask them before doing most things. Most marriages are arranged by male relatives, and women can’t get a job, can’t leave the country, or even walk outside without permission. Even when women are outside, they are required to wear floor-length black garments called abayas, which cover the feet, body, and head. Recently, in May 2018, before the driving ban was lifted multiple women were arrested and put in jail, including a leading women’s rights activist in Saudi, Loujain al-Hathloul. Women are facing abuse and sexual harassment in prison, one even threatened to commit suicide multiple times. Unfortunately, the government isn’t stepping in, which has alerted other countries to step in and speak up.

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A. What is the problem and what are the root causes of the problem?

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A. What is the problem and what are the root causes of the problem?

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Women in many countries are treated unfairly, but the country that has the most gender segregation is in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi, women can’t do most things without a male guardian’s permission, so if a woman's male guardian doesn't want them to do something, they can’t do it. You might think that the government might do something to help, but in this case, the Saudi government does nothing to improve the problem, and if anything, is making it worse. Women have no freedom of speech, and if they try to speak out, they can get charges of “treason” and face being jailed. Also, because of the limited rights, women in Saudi represent less than 25% of the workforce, and were not able to drive until a few months ago in 2018. The main causes for this are the unhelpful and equally oppressive government and the religious reasons that women should have fewer rights than men.