Saudi women are expected to have a “guardian” with them at all times. The guardian is normally their brother, husband or father. This guardian must be asked before they do anything, from getting married to nipping to the shops. A lady can conduct no official business without the guardian being present, which makes it a little tricky if you want to make a complaint against them for abusing you, for instance. The absurdity of it reaches a peak in cases like this: a widowed woman has to ask her son’s permission to remarry. It’s nonsensical.
If she wants to buy or sell a property she is required to take two male witnesses to confirm her identity and another four men to testify that the first two are credible. So they’re not exactly trying to make it easy for the girls are they?
It’s easy as a man from the UK to overlook cultural differences, and it’s true to say that most Saudi women don’t want to wear mini skirts and get smashed on Lambrini. People should be free to wear whatever they like, whether it covers them entirely or barely. The Muslim population of the world is massive and these changes won’t come over night. There is hope, but it’s moving at a snail’s pace. I’ll leave you with a quote from the Saudi’s King Abdullah:
“I believe strongly in the rights of women. My mother is a woman. My sister is a woman. My daughter is a woman. My wife is a woman. I believe the day will come when women will drive. In fact if you look at the areas of Saudi Arabia, the desert, and in the rural areas, you will find that women do drive. The issue will require patience. In time I believe that it will be possible. I believe that patience is a virtue.”
So don’t hold your breath then…
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