Magda Borgarelli
This week a girl in my English class explained
her background to my Professor. Though
she does not seem anything other than American, she is in fact Indian. However, she lived her entire life in Saudi
Arabia, and my Professor was asking her whether or not she felt oppressed
there, since she was a woman. Her
answer, I have to say, surprised me. She
defended Saudi Arabia’s law that prohibits women from driving, claiming that
the crime rate would go up if they would be allowed to do so, Hearing this left
me conflicted. As a woman that lives in
the Western world, I personally find the situation of women’s rights in Saudi
Arabia to be unacceptable. I firmly
believe in the equality between genders, and the mere assumption that women
need to be driven around in order to keep the crime rate down seems ridiculous
to me. However, the girl was convinced
that it was not oppression, but rather protection, that her culture was giving
women. At this realization, I was
speechless. I have always assumed that
what we call “oppressed” women in today’s world wouldn’t be happy with their
situation and would want to do all they can to change it. It never occurred to me that they would be
content and appreciate their situation.
Do we really have any right to interfere and bring change to a
population or group that does not ask for it?
Simply because I believe in gender equality and feel that is how the
world should work does not give me any right to impose my beliefs (though
widespread) on anyone else. I might not
like the fact that women in general in some countries are considered inferior
to men, however, except in cases of violence, is it my or my country’s place to
intervene and change the status quo?
I find your post very intriguing. I had never thought about some of the rational behind certain Middle Eastern laws that I found sexist. I do respect that women who live there might not view these laws as oppressive, but one does have to wonder about those who are protesting. If there is a significant number of Middle Eastern women who detest these laws, then it must mean something is up.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you; however, that Americans might not have the right to interfere and change the laws that have been in place for a long time. On the other hand, if the people ask for change from within, then maybe it is time for a culture to update to reflect a different time. Globalization is making the world smaller, and cultures are becoming closer and more similar.
I was talking with my friend Saudi Arabia about women's rights in the country, as well. He told me, like you have said here, that men's role over women can be divided in half: oppression versus protection. He told me that there are many men who seek only to protect their wives and daughters, and in that sense, they are viewed as precious. Other men, in seeking to "protect" them, end up oppressing and abusing them. I, too, had never thought of it this way.
ReplyDeleteShould we intervene? That is a tough question. I believe that either way, whether women are protected or oppressed, they should still be given a voice and treated as EQUAL--in every way, including driving. And I believe this calls some sort of promotion of women's rights, especially those of which harm them and put them in danger every day.