The idea is to close the wide employment gap between Saudi men and women, empowering the latter without upsetting sharia-based rules of gender segregation. That’s nice. But will the Saudis allow women to drive within these cities? Or, in the absence of men, will they have to walk up and down town in the burning desert sun?
Not being allowed to drive is just the tip of Saudi’s sexist sand-dune. Currently, Saudi norms prohibit women from voting, travelling, choosing marriage partners, opening bank accounts, even having major surgery without the consent of a male ‘guardian’. Against such overwhelming discrimination, where one gender is seen as ‘superior’ and hence stands more powerful relative to the other, how will having a job – if and until your male guardian consents, at that – really change anything?
Such enclaves, harking back to harems where women could play when men were away, will actually increase the segregation of Saudi women into corners of hard labour with few rights – somewhat like South Africa’s separate zones between black and white people, different rules governing these against a context of deep inequality. Then the world called it apartheid – and unacceptable. It’s time the Saudi regime takes a tip from more progressive Islamic states – Indonesia and Turkey are good examples where women have equivalent rights blended with religious custom – and enables women to be equal citizens in the public and private spaces they inhabit. Not move them to mirages in the desert.
It’s good that women in Saudi Arabia will soon have their own exclusive cities to work in and pursue their careers. The women-only cities, planned by the Saudi government, will open up new vistas for Saudi women, liberating them, partially at least, from the restrictive bindings of the sharia law. By leveraging these spaces, they can acquire both financial independence and entrepreneurial skill.
Nearly 5,000 jobs are expected in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and food processing industries. The critics however believe the move to be nothing but yet another extension of gender segregation. Especially in an overwhelmingly patriarchal society, practising strict gender apartheid in every walk of life. But let’s not forget Saudi Arabia’s present reality, with women denied any form of agency. Under constant vigil, Saudi women aren’t allowed to drive or move around without male relatives. Transforming such a religious and male-dominated society is difficult, especially when it comes to gender relations. In this stifling situation, the Saudi government’s decision can even be construed as subverting the rigid gender code from within the society, without upsetting the country’s fundamental laws.
All-women cities will also represent the changing times and the growing aspirations of Saudi women. Only last week athlete Sarah Attar had grabbed attention by becoming the first woman to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympic Games. Exclusive gender spaces can take forward this transforming of gender relations. Besides, even outside Saudi Arabia, women in general seem to want their own space outside the confines of patriarchy. That is why many girls still prefer women-only colleges rather than co-ed ones.
