Let me apologize. I haven’t written in a while, but I was
gathering the courage and the wisdom to talk about this subject- the all too
familiar gender segregation in Saudi Arabia.
First and foremost I want to start by saying that I have
high reverence for the Muslim Religion. I
know firsthand the kindness and compassion that is espoused by the Quran. As
for culture, I believe that it is relative. People have to adapt, and as such so
do their political, religious and social mores. That adaption isn’t always favorable
to me, an independent, ambitious, loud mouth, Western Attorney, but I have to accept
various cultural norms especially if I have made a conscious choice to be on their terrain.
Gender segregation in Saudi Arabia is exactly what it
expresses. The sexes, male and female,
are to remain separate in social gatherings, education, places of work,
especially government, restaurants and other public accommodations. This means that when you visit the mall and you want
fries from McDonald’s, there are two distinct lines. One line is the male only line the other line
is the family section line, which serves primarily women and their children.
When it’s time to eat those fries, there are two distinct seating areas one for
single men and the other for families.
I experienced the sting of gender segregation in mid-April.
I was at a lecture in downtown Riyadh.
The men were seated on one side of the room, and the women on the other.
There were fewer men, but their section took up three-fourths of the seating
arrangements. We as women were crowded together in the rest of the space and
there was a partition separating us. The podium, of course, was on the male
side. There were many dignitaries present, both Saudi and American, and I being
the ambitious little vixen that I am decided that I was going to network and
put my name and qualifications “out there” after the lecture. It
never dawned on me that we as women would be whisked away to a smaller dining
room and we would have to eat our meals separate from the men. The buffet was marvelous, but as I was eating
my meal I had one of my famous epiphanies – I could never really advance here
as a women because I did not have access to the “powers that be”-the men. Then
it dawned on me, yet again, if I did gain access would they even entertain me
and acknowledge my credentials? After this experience my perception of my
existence in Saudi Arabia changed completely.
As a woman, living and working in Saudi Arabia, especially a
foreign woman, my value and importance are insignificant. Most men in Saudi, including many foreigners,
“see” me when they want to “see” me or when they need to “see” me. Apart from
that, there is no difference between me and a brick wall, and I am treated
accordingly. For the first time in my life, I feel that I have been allotted to
a “place” and if I step out of the boundaries of that “place”, punishment can
range from frustration and humiliation to imprisonment and expulsion from the
Country. I never thought that I would experience the confines of that “place”
based on my gender. I always thought it would come to play because I am African
American.
What now? I am very careful. Less ambitious about the
contributions that I can make in Saudi. I expect nothing and demand even
less. However, I still believe that I
have a mission here, and as such I will finish what I have started.
Until next time,
Alex
