Gender Segregation in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia

This article explores the cultural practices of gender segregation in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. It discusses the detrimental effects of these practices and the factors that led to women's suffrage without movement in these countries. The article also covers the political changes, media reports, and media coverage that have contributed to the realization of women's rights in these countries.

Running head: GENDER SEGREGATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND SAUDI ARABIA 1
The Gender Segregation in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia
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Gender segregation in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan has been their culture for quite a
long time. In Saudi Arabia, women had no freedom of taking action, or making decision related
to their lives without permission from the men. Every woman had a man guardian, for example a
father, brother, uncle, cousin or grandfather. The guardian was to be involved in any issue related
to the woman. For instance, they were the one to decide to whom to be married to and when to
travel outside country, when and where to seek treatment, they could not attend court
proceeding. As seen in the article of B&B “Two Faces of power", the political scientists see
power as the opportunity to make decision. Therefore the women in these two nations were
deprived of this power. In Afghanistan, the women were like slaves. They were not permitted to
walk out of their house without a man with them. They could not be educated or be employed.
They were treated like non-valuable goods. Women were even given out as a pay for a dispute.
However, these restrictions were not in the government laws but were their cultural practices.
These segregation practices occurred in all public and private sectors of the country (Alhazmi
and Nyland, 2013). Girls could not school together with their brothers, women were banned
from driving, they could not interact with men who they were not related to and could not vote
nor vie for any position in the government. These practices had been the main agenda in debates
of international advocates who termed the practices as backwardness. Consequently, detrimental
effects had been evidenced in this nation. As asserted by Baki (2004), the gender segregated
education system fails to prepare the students for global economy. The Saudi students always
experience transitional challenge when studying in western schools and find it difficult to adapt
in a mixed group (Alhazmi and Nyland, 2013). In employments, the Saudi society had a negative
attitude towards women nurses (Mebrouk, 2008). They consider nursing as not the right
profession for women since the nurses were not allowed to offer the services to male gender. The

GENDER SEGREGATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND SAUDI ARABIA 3
power imbalance between men and women in Saudi Arabia has put women in a position where
their rights have been violated (Al Alhreth, and Al Dighrir, 2015). As evident through secret
media reports, the women were resistant to the restrictions but had no power to air their views.
International human right and through women activism have been working to stop these
segregations and to fight for gender equalities in Saudi Arabia. Through campaigns by women
activist, the Saudi Arabia women can now enjoy major gains that they never enjoyed before.
Currently women can drive around Saudi Arabia freely. In 2015 they acquired the right to vote.
They currently have a right to vote and vie for governmental positions. Not only campaigns that
have led to the realization of these rights for women in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan but there
are other factors that have highly contributed to this success. The thesis statement of this article
is that there are many social and industrial factors that led to women suffrage without movement
in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.
Political changes
Though not documented in the law of the Saudi Arabia, women were not allowed to vote
nor express their interest in any leadership position. However, during the reign of late King
Abdullah in 2015, the Saudi Arabia government decreed the women electoral suffrage. The
women were permitted to participate in municipal elections and also to vie for the available
position. This decree by the government indicated positive developments towards women
freedom. Though few women registered for voting in that year, quite a significant number were
interested in the municipal positions.This decree indicated change in political stand on the strict
laws on women. The low turnout for registration of women was attributed to fear of the
unknown. Media reports indicate that most women were not permitted by their male guardians
to participate in the elections. In 2009, the Afghanistan government together with the women

GENDER SEGREGATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND SAUDI ARABIA 4
activists conducted campaigns to educate women on the importance of voting. This led to
increase in the number of women registered for voting. These political changes play a big role in
freedom to women. and through other international supports, it is expected that these two nations
will appreciate gender equality and give women a chance to participate in building the nations.
As stated by Bachrach and Baratz(1962), centralized power tends to oppress the minority,
women in these two nations have suffered for many years under the power of the men. As
according to Barnard (2014), when US troop invade Afghanistan and over turned the Taliban
power, some rules that were set to oppress women were demolished. The Taliban prohibited
women to move out of their houses without a male figure with them. Women could not seek
treatment from a male doctor, they could not even show of an inch of their skin. The
overthrowing of this power by the US troops changed women lives. They build schools and
health center for women to seek treatment. And they got freedom of movement.
Media reports
During this time that women went through harsh treatments in Afghanistan and Saudi
Arabia media reported this news worldwide. The Aljazeera, CNN and BBC displayed some of
the mistreatment the women faced. This propelled the international human rights and the activist
to intervene. Through the news reported by media the US was convinced that much worse was
happening in these countries (Stabile and Kumar, 2005). Setting in of US troops into these
countries led to change in the way of life of the women. As according to Macdonald (2006), the
images that were shown in media and a movie that was directed by Theo Van Gogh in February
2003 provoke negative reactions from other nations and this enhanced the intervention to redeem
the woman from bondage. Even after the electoral suffrage in both countries, media still played a
role in passing the information to other women on their right to vote. Media still showed images

GENDER SEGREGATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND SAUDI ARABIA 5
of women from Saudi Arabia enjoying the freedom of driving. This acted as motivation to
women in the country and depicted victory
media coverage promoted employment
The gender segregation in these two countries resulted to many women not engaging in
certain types of jobs. The harsh treatments and restriction to education, made many women
incompetents for top jobs in the country. The cultural practices also prohibited women working
in places like banks and other places where they had easy access to men. This discouraged many
women and they ended up not valuing education and employment. However, after the
government eased the law. The media covered such bitter stories that women went through. The
media also covered the life stories of the successful women in the country. As stated by McBride
and Wibben (2012), the women in the rural and other places could see such stories and be
encouraged. This therefore increased the percentage of the ladies employed within the country.
The media coverage has also encouraged women to venture into businesses. Though, with little
entrepreneurial skills they are in a position to run their business well. This proves that women
interest of development was initially unattended to (Zamberi, 2011). Media coverage on the
overthrowing of the Taliban power by the US troop also developed a sense of security to the
women and the nation at large (Barnard ,2014).
After achieving the right to vote, the International human right and women activist are now
working to words the culture practice of guardianship. This will free the women and give them
an opportunity to make their own decisions and this will enable them to acquire efreedom of
movement within their countries and also internationally.

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References
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Arabia. American Journal of Educational Research, 3(2), 121-125.
Alhazmi, A., & Nyland, B. (2013). The Saudi Arabian international student experience: From a
gender-segregated society to studying in a mixed-gender environment. Compare: A
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Bachrach, P., &Baratz, M. S. (1962). Two Faces of Power:the American Political Science
Review, 56(4),947-952.
Baki, R. (2004). Gender-Segregated Education in Saudi Arabia: Its Impact on Social Norms and
the Saudi Labor Market. education policy analysis archives, 12(28), n28.
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Macdonald, M. (2006). Muslim women and the veil: Problems of image and voice in media
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