Women's Rights: Political Changes and Media's Role in Saudi & Afghan

This essay delves into the evolution of women's rights in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, examining the significant political changes and the influential role of media in shaping these advancements. It highlights how women in both countries faced severe restrictions, including limitations on their mobility, education, employment, and participation in public life. The essay explores how government decrees, media coverage of women's struggles, and international human rights activism contributed to women's suffrage and greater freedoms. It analyzes the impact of media reports on raising awareness and encouraging policy changes, as well as the influence of political shifts and international support in promoting gender equality. The analysis also considers the cultural and societal contexts that influenced these changes, providing a comprehensive understanding of the complex factors that led to improvements in women's rights without relying solely on traditional social movements. The essay discusses the limitations women faced in the past, and the positive changes that have occurred through political and media influences.

Running head: WOMEN RIGHTS WITHOUT A MOVEMENT
WOMEN RIGHTS WITHOUT A MOVEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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The segregation of the genders has been the culture in the nations of Afghanistan and
Saudi Arabia since long. The Saudi Arabian women had no rights to take an action or take any
decision that pertained to their lives without the permission from their male counterparts. All the
women in the country had a male guardian in the form of a brother, cousin, father, grandfather or
an uncle who had been responsible for all the issues that pertained to the women. The society of
the country was responsible for the decisions that involved the life that the girl had to spend in
the future. The male guardians of the concerned girl had a strong say in the facts that dealt with
the vital aspects in the life of a girl like her life partner, the place and time for seeking medical
treatment. The female members of the society were not even permitted to attend the proceedings
of the court. The B&B “Two Face s of Power” state that the politicians seem to view power as
the opportunity that might assist in the decision-making abilities of the concerned citizen. 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 attend school together with their brothers, women were banned from driving, and
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

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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 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 Saudis 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 led to women's suffrage without movement.
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’s
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

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to participate in the elections. In 2009, the Afghanistan government together with the women
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. Bachrach and Baratz (1962) opine that the centralized nature of the power tends to bring
about a suppression on the minority communities in the concerned country, in this case the
women in these states who have been suffering due to the oppressive nature of the men in these
societies. The authors base their article on the fact that the power in the various scenarios of that
might feature in the given country might affect the variety of the residents in the country. The
power factors that are existent in the society might play a huge role in the lives of the residents of
the country. The women of the concerned countries in discussion, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan,
are reported to have to suffer in huge measures due to the fact that they have to be dependent on
their concerned male counterparts in order to make decisions on the various matters that deal
with the major decisions in their life like the choice of a suitable life partner or the freedom to
choose the time and place for availing the medical treatments (Theweek.co.uk., 2018). The
women in Afghanistan were prohibited by the Taliban to leave their houses without the presence
of a male member beside them thereby making it too difficult for the women of the country to
carry on with their daily chores or take part in any social event on their own. 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, thereby allowing them the freedom of movement.

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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. The media coverage of the events and the political conditions in the
concerned countries of Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia had helped in the showcasing of the actual
conditions faced by the concerned members of the society existent within the country. The role
of the media in the matters that pertained to the showcasing of the plight of the female members
of the society had resulted in the intervention of the international human rights activists who had
come forward to ensure that the female members of the society are allowed the right to make
decisions and participate in the electoral procedures that are followed by the various members of
the society (Theweek.co.uk., 2018). Media still showed images of women from Saudi Arabia
enjoying the freedom of driving. This acted as motivation to women in the country and helped in
bringing about the changes that were necessary in the empowerment of the female members of
the society and helping them in gaining the rights to put forth their opinion in the matters that
deal with the decision of the governmental bodies in the country.
Media coverage promoted employment

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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).
The women in Saudi Arabia did not have the rights that would have allowed them to step
out of the house without the presence of a male member by their side. The laws of the country
did not allow the female nationals to drive and also restricted their free movement within the
territory. The female members of the society were not allowed to take part in the matters that
pertained to the decision making regarding the governmental bodies that are existent within the
country (Le Renard, 2014). However, the concerned female members have demonstrated a huge
struggle in the matter of gaining the rights to freedom and decision making for the concerned
governmental bodies of the state. The women of Afghanistan had also faced similar conditions
during the Taliban rule in the country. The women had to face severe conditions due to the terror

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that was spread by the Taliban group. The women had to lead the lives of slaves in the country
due to the declaration of the fact that they should not be leaving their houses without the
accompaniment of a male member of the family (Dyvik, 2014). The women in Afghanistan also
faced medical issues due to the fact that they were not allowed to be diagnosed by any male
doctor. This might have led to the conditions when their health was severely affected due to the
lack of treatment which might have resulted from the lack of the available female doctors
(Kabeer & Khan, 2014).
The Saudi Arabian women were also forbidden from the participation in the games and
other sport activities that are arranged on an international platform. The female participants from
Saudi Arabia had to follow the customs of covering their head and had to be accompanied by the
male members if they wished to participate in the various sport events that were organized on an
international platform. The world had the first ever Saudi Arabian female participant in the
London Olympics in the year 2012 (Theweek.co.uk., 2018). The women in Afghanistan had
various other struggles that were a part of their lives. The female members of the society were
disallowed from attending the schools and other educational institutions. The female members of
the country were even barred from attending the elections as well as participating in the political
discussions or the political activities that took place within the concerned state (Theweek.co.uk.,
2018).
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 freedom of
movement within their countries and also internationally.

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Thus, from the above discussion it might be pointed out that the women in Saudi Arabia
and Afghanistan have been facing a huge curbing in their freedom due to the over dominance of
the male members of the concerned societies. The women are not granted the positions of
decision making within the concerned societies. The paper might safely conclude that the women
must be granted decisive rights in order to bring about an overall improvement in the concerned
society. The non-decisive nature of the women within the society might lead to the deterioration
of the concerned society since women are known to be the first teachers of their own children.
Thus, the women should be granted the various decisive rights within the society that might deal
with the decision of the improvement of the concerned society or state in discussion.

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