[Ann357]

Saudi women take driver's seat to protest unwritten rule (CBS News) ISTANBUL - Dozens of women staged the biggest demonstration of its kind Saturday on the streets of Saudi Arabia, claiming a basic right in the rest of the world: the right to drive a car. In one of the most conservative nations in the world, it is an act of defiance. Dozens of Saudi Arabian women posted online videos of themselves behind the wheel, rebelling against an unwritten rule. There's no law against them driving, but Saudi authorities have warned they'll arrest any woman they catch and use force if necessary. Manal al-Sharif was arrested by Saudi Arabia's religious police for driving in 2011. She told CBS News she also lost her job as a result and has received abuse and threats. "You always have to be prepared when you speak up against the odds or the status quo to pay a price," she said. "Profanity, lies, rumors. You could lose your job. You could lose everything." Saudi Arabia is heavily segregated, and women have few legal rights. They're not allowed to work or travel overseas without the permission of a male relative. Though some Saudis want their society to modernize, many powerful Islamic clerics are against it. One of them recently appeared on TV and claimed that driving would harm women's ovaries. "It's very clear that there's a divide in the government," said al-Sharif. "You find those people who are pushing towards more empowering to women, and you find those people who like, no. That will open hell's doors for us." And on the street, opinion is also divided. One man said he's against women drivers. "What if they get a flat tire?" he asked. "What would they do?" But other Saudi men are showing their support, giving the thumbs-up to women who dare to take to the open road.

There are also some videos with the article (I didn't watch them but they are probably interesting). Link: Saudi women take driver's seat to protest unwritten rule - CBS News

[quaist]

Thanks so much for getting this new thread started, Ann!

I think these women are so admirable and brave, for in a country like Saudi Arabia, it must take a whole lot of guts to step up for your rights.

It's been new to me that there's not even an actual law banning women from driving a car. I think that makes keeping them from getting behind the wheel even more ridiculous.

[sunnykerr]

The continued struggle for the right to drive for the women of Saudi Arabia is one that inspires a lot of admiration in me.

The ban on women's right to drive is one that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Just because, practically speaking, there simply can't always be a man around to chauffeur women wherever they need to go.

[quaist]

Originally Posted by sunnykerr (View Post) Just because, practically speaking, there simply can't always be a man around to chauffeur women wherever they need to go.

True... And hence indirectly forcing them to stay at home just isn't an acceptable 'solution'.

[sunnykerr]

^ It really isn't.

Meanwhile, an update on the UBC sex attacks:

Another sex attack on UBC campus, RCMP linking 6 assaults to same suspect VANCOUVER -- Another sex attack at the University of British Columbia has RCMP announcing they believe the same man is responsible for six attacks, three more than previously reported. Sgt. Peter Thiessen said Tuesday that the attacks may date back to April, with incidents following in May, then September and three in October. The most recent attack was reported to police on Sunday. "A young woman indicated that she was walking alone. . . shortly before 1:30 in the morning when she noticed a shadow behind her," Thiessen said. "She was grabbed from behind and she began to flail her arms, causing the suspect to run away." "In all situations, the women were assaulted while walking around the campus late into the evening or into the early-morning hours." The attacks have spread fear on campus, especially with three of them on consecutive weekends this month. In the incident on Oct. 19, the man grabbed the woman from behind, ripping her nylons, punching her in the face and giving her a black eye. It represented an escalation in violence and prompted the RCMP's Major Crimes Unit to take over the investigation. In all cases, the suspect is described as a Caucasian male with an olive or tanned skin tone. He is in his mid 20s to early 30s with dark hair, a thin build and about six feet tall, Thiessen said. Police and school officials have been working with campus security and student housing to discuss the use of more lighting and video cameras and a boost to the hours of the university's free Safewalk program, which provides escorts to people walking alone on campus between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. A brochure with safety tips has also been placed in the lobbies of student residences and counselling services for students have been increased. "We want the attacks to stop," said Louise Cowin, vice-president of students on campus. "We want these crimes solved. "This is a stressful time for many people on our campus and in this area of the city. This latest news will add to the anxiety. That fear is understandable but it is also critical to act and act decisively." Thiessen said police have added more resources to the manhunt, and are also working with the Vancouver Police Department. On the case is the RCMP bike patrol, the dog squad, forensic artists and teams specializing in behavioural science, criminal and geographic profiles and crime analysis. But Thiessen also renewed the plea for women to watch out for themselves when walking alone on the campus in the evening. "These attacks seem to be crimes of opportunity, where the suspect is specifically targeting lone females in somewhat secluded areas," he noted. "We want the public to enhance their own personal safety by minimizing or eliminating those opportunities for this assailant to be able to victimize anyone else in our community." Thiessen urged women to walk in pairs or groups, be aware of their surroundings, take routes that are well lit along pedestrian or vehicle traffic, to let friends know when they are arriving and what route they are taking.

This guy is obviously still working himself up to stronger measures and actual rape.

I really, really hope they catch him before it gets to that.

[sunnykerr]

The Real Arab Spring Is About Women and Economic Development "If we educate a boy, we educate one person. If we educate a girl, we educate a family - and a whole nation." An African Proverb. October 11 marked the International Day of the Girl Child, highlighting the marginalization of girls and women everywhere. Despite much improvement in women's status over the last few decades, women still own only 1 percent of the world's wealth, earn only a 10 percent share of global income, and occupy just 14 percent of leadership positions in the private and public sector, despite making up more than half of the world's population. In the Arab world, women have the lowest rates of female labour force participation globally: 26 percent compared to a global average of 52 percent. They face insuperable barriers, discrimination, legal and regulatory hurdles, lack of economic opportunities, poor working conditions, and the absence of the institutional, societal support needed to leverage them into economic and public life. As such, the real "Arab Spring" is about the necessary paradigm shift, the transformation of women's role in economic development and their empowerment. Women & Economic Development What is the rationale behind the empowerment of women? There is a two-way relationship between economic development and women's empowerment, i.e. enabling women to access the constituents of development: health, education, earning opportunities, rights, and political participation. While economic development helps bring about women's empowerment, empowering women brings about changes in choices and decision-making, which have a direct, positive impact on development. Poverty and lack of opportunity breed inequality between men and women, so when economic development reduces poverty, the condition of everyone, including women, improves. But economic development alone does not bring about parity between men and women. Policy action is necessary to achieve equality between genders. Such policy action is unambiguously justified because empowerment of women also stimulates further development, starting a virtuous cycle. In the other direction, continuing marginalization and discrimination against women hinders development. The bottom line is that empowerment can and does accelerate development. Women Are Better Educated & Healthier Arab countries have made rapid progress in reducing gender gaps in education and longevity, and in lowering fertility levels. Among the developing regions of the world, MENA achieved the largest decline (59 percent) in the maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2008. Over the past decade, female school enrollments in the MENA have grown faster than male enrollments, with the female-to-male ratios currently in the high nineties and women are now more likely than men to attend university. They perform better at all levels of education. With its significant investment in women's education, Arab countries increased women's productive potential and capacity to earn. But the low levels of female participation in economic activity means that the region is not realizing the return on its investment. The human capital of women is being wasted. Wasting the Human Capital of Women Arab women have the lowest labour force participation rate (LFPR), only 22 percent, of any region in the world and the largest gap with men's participation (see chart)! As a consequence the Arab region has the lowest overall LFPR: only 54 percent compared to a world rate of 65 percent (excluding MENA). When employed, women tend to be well or even over-represented in the public sector: on average 28 percent of employed women work in the public but this rises to more than 80 percent in Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia. By contrast, women's share of employment in the private sector is very low, averaging only 20 percent and less than 10 percent in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Palestinian Authority and Yemen. Arab women also have a lower level of involvement than men in entrepreneurial activity: on average 8.1 percent of adult women are nascent entrepreneurs or already own a young business that is less than 42 months old, compared to an average of 16.1 percent for men. In the Gulf region, even within the self-employed category, working men were six times more likely to be self-employed than working women! Why the poor performance? Barriers to entry are numerous. Purportedly "protective" labour laws make it costly for the private sector to actively hire women. Employment in the public sector is not a "good incubation environment" for skills generation for transition to the competitive private sector! The lack of access to finance is another barrier. Globally, 47 percent of women and 55 percent of men have an account at a formal financial institution. The gap is wider in the MENA region: only 13 percent of women as opposed to 23 percent of men have an account. Absent a bank account, it is difficult to enter the formal economy and grow an SME! To add to the disincentives, working women face the highest unemployment rates. The factor that spikes the total unemployment rate in the Arab region is the high female unemployment rate of 17.4 percent (ILO, 2012). Arab women are on average twice as likely as men to be unemployed. Also, the younger and the more highly educated the higher the unemployment rate amongst women! Increasing Women's Participation Can Radically Change Arab Economies A rough calculation indicates that if female LFPRs were at the same level as in the OECD (60 percent), the MENA region could drastically increase GDP by 20 to 25 percent.The accompanying table shows that we could achieve a near doubling in growth rates if women participated at similar rates as men. The fastest growth rates would be achieved by those countries with the lowest female participation rates. Iraq and Saudi Arabia could grow at 8 to 9 percent per annum by 2030 and Jordan by 7 to 8 percent. The economic performance and landscape of the Arab world would be transformed through the contribution of the skills, talent, labour and entrepreneurship of women. However, this will not happen through the wave of a magic wand. We need to invest and do things differently. We have to change laws, institutions and regulations that marginalize and discriminate against women and youth. Change Laws & Regulations That Discriminate Against Women In national vision documents and national development policy documents, Arab governments usually make reference to the importance of women's empowerment and their increased role in the economy as necessary for equitable local and regional development. However, gender discrimination in MENA is typically codified in law, frequently in discriminatory family laws or civil codes, restrictions on resources and entitlements, son biases and restricted civil liberties. In many countries, women must obtain permission from a male relative, usually a husband, father or brother, before seeking employment, requesting a loan, starting a business, or even travelling. Social institutions in the Arab countries embody some of the highest levels of discrimination in the world (map below). As is clear from the map and the examples of Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, this is not a matter of Islam, but a matter of culture. It will take and effort to change mind sets. Similarly, the World Bank's important survey on "Women, Business & the Law" highlights that the MENA region is the one where women face the highest number of restrictions in their capacity to act (Chart below). It also found that the greater the lack of legal parity is associated with lower labour force participation by women (both in absolute terms and relative to men) and lower levels of women entrepreneurship. The report reveals that in the Arab countries, explicit legal gender discrimination was most common, both in accessing institutions and in using property; there is a differentiation in inheritance laws; there are limits on the industries in which women may work relative to men. In nine of the 14 MENA there are four or more legal differentiations that hinder women's economic rights, activity, mobility and participation. What Next? The waste and underutilization of female human capital and capacity is a major drag on the performance and growth prospects of Arab economies. Post-Arab firestorm, empowerment of women should be a major priority on the region's transformational and reform agenda. Making greater use of women workers increases growth and productivity, not only because women jobseekers typically have higher than average education, but also because this can increase mobility across sectors and jobs. By bringing in new skills and talents we increase the diversification of economic activity. The priority should be for an affirmative action program that actively promotes women and reverses marginalization and discrimination. We need corrective policies, laws and quotas. Reforms are necessary in the legal framework to support women's rights, including property, access to finance and mobility. Removing the barriers to women's economic participation can be a game changer for the region. This period of transformation requires the contribution of women towards nation building: their increased participation in politics, parliament, and cabinets and even simply as voters can bring about a dramatic change in the way our civil societies are structured.

A very long article, but so worth it, as far as I'm concerned.

[quaist]

To be honest, I'll have to postpone my reading the article to a day when I've got more 'headspace'.

It's certainly a very valuable and important cause to encourage girls education. However, I really dislike this African proverb at the top... Feminism must never result in the opposite extrem of its initial goal.

[sunnykerr]

Fair enough on the postponing the read.

I know too well what it's like to fee like something's just too much to handle from time to time.

As to the proverb, I'll be honest, it's one of my favourites.

I'm not keen on so-called "man-hating" feminism any more than you seem to be, but there are parts of this world where women's work and women's economic contributions are so often overlooked by virtue of their being more or less confined to the home that, once in a while, I don't mind a rather crude reminder that these women have a significant role.

At the very least, given the topic of the article, I expect that's why the proverb was affixed to it.

[quaist]

And I totally agree with you that the intention behind the proverb's very noble and supportable. If they had only left out the first sentence.

Educating boys is no less significant than is educating girls.

In my view, the discrimination against girls and women can be highlighted in many ways and needn't resort to making appear male students somehow inferior.

[sunnykerr]

No, you're right, of course.

A lot of studies are starting to highlight the academic vulnerability of boys.

Nevertheless, I did think the article had merit on the separate topic of women's crucial economic role in areas of the world where that may not be so obvious.

[quaist]

Now, after finally got around to reading the article, I can say that I agree with you. It highlights where the problem areas are... However, I do think that even in Europe it remains a huge task to work on the compatibility of family and work/career.

Plus, there are even reactionary tendencies in some countries. Just recently I've heard a formerly high-ranking (female) Turkish official talking in an interview about how Erdogan wants to replace secularism with Islamism and reinforce a conservative family portrait, with the wife staying at home and raising the kids. So obviously it's not even guaranteed that regions where women achieved things in accordance with more gender equality will necessary maintain that status.

[_vega_]

The proverb is true though.

It's been proved that women tend to spend more on the education of their children than men. That's why Muhammad Yunus had such success with the microcredit system of the Bank of Grameen in Bangladesh. His work has heavily influenced several nations into creating somenthing simmilar and also the now popular The Girl Effect from the World Bank.

This doesn't mean that people have to choose between educating men or women, they should both get an education. The thing is that, in poorer countries, where life is harder, women are usually denied an education by their own family, out of the belief that they are only meant to marry and bear children. If that wasn't the case then these countries would be able to develop more quickly:

The Economic Benefits of Educating Women - Businessweek

[sunnykerr]

I think you're both right.

Poorer parts of the world tend to sacrifice girl's education first but, at the same time, having women in power doesn't guarantee that gains will be maintained.

It all highlights how precarious women's rights are worldwide.

Even here in Canada, for instance, where gender equality is essentially accepted, we still have that salary disparity problem. Of course, that's small potatoes compared to what happens elsewhere. I'm just saying it goes to show you that one can never assume that women can rest on their laurels, or whatever.

It nevertheless remains that, even in those places where women are given precious few opportunities outside of the home, their role in the household grants them a certain economic impact. I hardly think women should be content with this. I'm just saying that the potential for economic growth is demonstrated in the role women already play in parts of the world where they are routinely sidelined.

[quaist]

vega, I just meant to say that we shouldn't highlight one side's superiority over the other. It's about equality, not revenge. There are many fields in which men are generally better 'equipped' biologically, but exceptions prove the rule everywhere. So in my view, it'd serve us better in the long run if the operative word were equal opportunities and not rivalry.

[sunnykerr]

I know what you're trying to say, Christina.

I would argue that perhaps the proverb in question isn't advocating for a rivalry so much as highlighting the benefits of one gender being well educated.

Obviously, I anticipate that you'll disagree and, honestly, I don't see anything with the notion that we should advocate for equal opportunity, so I have nothing to say on that front.

As far as Africa goes, I will admit that it never occured to me to think that boys and men were in a vulnerable position.