The issue of segregation of genders in Saudi Arabia once again came to the forefront at the 7th National Dialogue in Buraidah last week. Even though the Kingdom has come under a lot of fire from abroad over its strict adherence to the separation of men and women in almost all public places, such as schools and universities, the issue has solid basis in Islamic Shariah. However, many women, which the outside world often wrongly describes as victims, are all for the segregation of sexes as long as it is not a cause of hindrance to their basic rights of education, employment and an active social life. Despite faulty stereotyping that portrays gender segregation as an imposition by men, many Saudi women actually prefer and feel more at ease, for example, standing in woman-only queues to order fast food or sitting in the family sections of cafes without the presence of groups of single men. The pendulum of opinion swings from one end to the other when it comes to this issue. While many agree with the policy of unrelated men and women keeping distance from each other, critics say that it is a violation of human rights. Supporters hold that it is necessary to maintain decency, respectablity, modesty, female safety and the family unit. “We do not want the outside world to interfere in our way of life,” says an undergraduate student of information technology who wished to remain anonymous. “Segregation may appear like an oddity for the Western world, but for us it is a religious and cultural obligation. As long as we are okay with it, nobody has the right to say anything about it.” Amina Haider, a Saudi woman, is a strong advocate of the country's policy on the mixing of unrelated men and women. “(Segregation) helps in safeguarding the family unit and maintaining a clean environment,” she said. “Many vices can come out of mixing. Yes, we do have vices and problems, but those can multiply if segregation is let go.” According to many critics, strictly enforced gender segregation hinders a Saudi woman's ability to participate fully in public life. Many argue that for employers, the need to establish separate office spaces and women's inability to interact with many government agencies without a male representative provide a significant disincentive to hiring women. In education, segregation often means that women are relegated to unequal facilities with inferior academic opportunities. “That is all rubbish,” contended Mona Al-Ansari, Public Relations Manager at the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program for Youth Development. “I have had an education and I am also employed. Nothing has stopped me from doing what I intented to do – getting an education and eventually building a career for myself.” She goes on to add that “Islam discourages social interaction between men and women, but not all interaction between men and women.” “This is shown in the example of Khadija, who employed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and met with him to conduct business before they were married.” She also cited the example set by the other wives of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who taught and counseled the men and women of Madina after his Hijra. Dr Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Minister of Labor, underlined the need for a re-reading of the provisions of the new law that clearly explain that women would be allowed to work in an appropriate environment, not mixing with men and without exposure to harassment. He further said no Islamic religious scriptures prevent women from working. Gosaibi said that after serious studies and discussions, religious scholars, intellectuals and the Supreme Economic Council have agreed on the religious regulations governing the employment of women. Carol Fleming, a former American diplomat married to a Saudi feels that to some degree, gender segregation is holding women back from moving forward and obtaining better education and therefore getting better jobs. “There remain various (college) degree programs unavailable to women, or educational programs which do not provide enough coverage for women, such as in engineering, law and journalism.” However, there are now attempts to open up all fields of study to female students. Law is one such field. Universities such as King Abdulaziz University (KAAU) in Jeddah and King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh do offer law courses for women. Moreover courses in Engineering are also being reviewed so that women do not have to go abroad to obtain degrees. Effat College is focusing on developing leadership skills in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as architecture, electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science and business administration, according to Asma Siddiki, vice dean for student affairs at the college. Eman Al-Nafjan, a lecturer at the King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, takes a view that affirms the reality of the situation. “Yes, the segregation of men and women is holding us back, wherein we do not have courses like engineering and journalism, simply because of unavailability of women's faculty,” she said. “Otherwise, this is no real reason for women not to go out, get an education and make careers. It is all in the head, and of course, the notion of people opposing this plays an important part in the hullaballoo created.” Noaf Al-Turki is a Senior HR Officer at Rawabi Holding Company in Al-Khobar, a company that employs about 25 women, some of them working in the engineering department. “The labor office does have restrictions regarding the mixing of men and women in the work place,” she said. “However integration is necessary in offices as long as it is within the religious doctrine.” She said it mainly depends on the type of job in question. “In the medical field, where men and women complement each other, with many women wearing the abaya and niqaab (veil), there is no such problem, because their interaction with each other is a result of their work,” she said. “I think it is a perfect example of how integration can be achieved without crossing religious boundaries.” Some women who are against the segregation of genders see it as repression of sorts. “I do believe that gender segregation is very much holding the Saudi women back,” Sa'd Shideh Rashidi, a business development manager at a major company in Saudi Arabia. “It is wrong and I disagree with it on principle.” It is interesting to note that all the noise surrounding barring the mixing of men and women is focused on the Kingdom, when in ultra-orthodox Jews and Christians segregation is practiced in public buses, schools and workplaces. A group of ultra-orthodox rabbis even ruled that women should no longer be allowed to get academic degrees beyond high school. __
