Ordinary Things you, as a Woman, Could not do in Saudi Arabia

COCKTAILS & DANCING  WITH FRIENDS

Forget about it.  First of all alcohol, dancing, playing music in public and mingling with unrelated women not to mention men are all banned.  Try it, and you could find yourself harassed or even arrested by the religious police (the Mutaween).  It is against the law in Saudi Arabia for a woman to be accompanied by a non-mahram man; meaning, any man who is not her father, brother, husband, uncle, nephew or son.  So even going out with girlfriends is not really permitted unless you are going to the mall (usually accompanied by a mahram male) and not expecting to try anything on as there are no dressing rooms in Saudi Arabia.  Even if you want to shop for lingerie, expect all male sales staff. 

DATES

Saudis live in a strictly segregated society and there is little or no contact between men and women.  Unless the two are somehow related, but even cousins of the opposite sex are not really allowed to congregate alone.  Saudi girls attend girls-only schools and university departments, eat in special “family” sections of cafes and restaurants, work out at women-only gyms, shop at women-only boutiques or even women-only shopping malls and work in women only environments.  Where in the world would you meet a man?  And even if by some off chance you did, where would he take you on a date?  Secluded spot in the dessert perhaps?  I suppose you could secretly date online, but you could not test the waters before diving in so to speak, in terms of physical intimacy.  

In all probability, if you’ve reached an appropriate age to marry, meaning the moment you are born and determined to be female, your dad may hook you up with a man.  Either his friend, his friend’s son, your cousin… you get the picture.  You will not be allowed to speak to your fiancé, or if your family is really liberal you may speak to him by phone or correspond via email, but will generally not know much about him until you become his wife.  You may also find yourself his second, third or fourth wife.  A man is allowed to have multiple wives, thus obviously polygamy is legal.   

THE DRESS CODE

Forget all about wearing a mini skirt or showing any skin at all.  In Saudi Arabia you can only wear the abaya in public, even if you are a tourist.  The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes.  Some clerics have advocated that the niqab be modified so that only a single eye can be seen, so as to curtail women’s use of eye makeup.  Some women also choose to wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered as well.  Usually the abaya is black or some other dark color and anything too loud as they say is frowned upon. 

MOST IMPORTANTLY

As a woman in Saudi Arabia you could not vote, testify in trials or drive.  You may however fly a plane but a man must chaperone you to the airport.    

Apparently, women in Saudi Arabia can not vote due to their limited interaction with men, because of which they would allegedly choose candidates based not on what they can deliver but on their good looks or emotional appeal.  A woman may also not testify in a trial because her testimony is not regarded as fact but as presumption.  The reasoning is that since women are much more emotional than men, their emotion will distort their testimony.  Not only that, but women are thought to be very forgetful and incapable of understanding what they observe, as such their testimony is not reliable. Talk about discrimination…

In Saudi Arabia your social life would mostly be confined to your home where you would be visited by friends and relatives.  Your female friends would be accompanied by a mahram man, but you would have plenty of time to spend alone with your girlfriends since you are not likely to be seated in the same room as the men.  The fact that your mobility is also predetermined by law, you could not just get into your SUV and be on your way to a destination of your choice.  Even if you want to travel anywhere in or out of the country your husband etc. must grant you permission to do so.  Better hope you married a liberal man of were born to liberal parents. Otherwise your kitchen is your universe. 

You don’t have to be a feminist to see the blatant discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia and sympathize.