Is There Feminism in Saudi Arabia?

Abstract

The use of the word feminism might be problematic in trying to describe women’s movement in Saudi Arabia because of historical and social factors associated with the feminist movement. Feminism is a movement that developed out of Western context and discourse, therefore it might not properly describe what is taking place in Saudi Arabia. A comparison between women’s movements in Saudi Arabia and the Western feminist movement reveals important differences. This, however, does not mean that Saudis are not preoccupied by the theme of justice as it pertains to gender issues. The aim of this research is thus to challenge the view that Saudi women have no agency and to explore the ways they seek to shape their society and challenge oppressive systems from within their own culture and worldview. This research will discuss why feminist theory may not be the ideal, and certainly not the only system that can address oppressive systems in non-Western societies, including Saudi Arabia. Additionally, this research will describe and analyze the ways in which Saudi women are working towards defining their own views of equity and creating women's movement within their society.

Saudi Arabian Parents' Perception of Online Marital Matchmaking Technologies

“…Feminist ideology and talking about "private matters" is considered socially unacceptable in Saudi Arabia. As a result, Saudi Arabian women have to construct their own version of Islamic Feminism [11,38,54] where they de ine what women's empowerment means in a patriarchal and Islamic society. For example, Saudi Arabian women might avoid going against their fathers in a case of 'adhl as they view following their father's wishes falls under bir alwalidayn.…”

“…It does not mean that they do not value being able to choose who to marry, but rather give priority to their Islamic obligation to respect their parents. In fact, some Saudi Arabian women have stated that "Islam has freed women before the West comes with its conventions" as a protest against the term "feminism" [38]. While Saudi Arabian women still face many challenges in Saudi Arabia, they prefer to tackle them while adhering to cultural and religious values as they consider this approach to be more socially acceptable.…”