Riyadh: Historically, a patriarchal monarchy, where men hold sway over everything and everyone, two developments that augur well for Saudi society are taking place.In what the kingdom’s officials describe as a “significant milestone in progress towards a participation-based society”, municipal elections will be held across the country later this year. And in a remarkable move for a country where women’s rights are severely limited, women have been allowed to both vote and stand for election themselves.
According to the Saudi Gazette, two women named Jamal Al-Saadi and Safinaz Abu Al-Shamat became the first to register as voters in their country’s history when they arrived at the electoral offices in Madinah and Makkah, respectively on Sunday.
Voter registration lasts for 21 days, but Shamat told the newspaper she had been determined to be “the first woman to arrive at the center”. She described it as a national duty for women to participate in the elections. King Abdullah announced that women would be allowed to take part in 2011, after their lack of involvement in elections that year sparked online outrage. Then, he said the government “refused to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia”.
Speaking to AsiaNews in Riyadh, one of 21 female candidates at a workshop for the December elections said she would be campaigning on a message of “change”.
Haifa al-Hababi, 36, said: “Change the system. Change is life. The government has given us this tool and I intend to use it.” Though Saudi women have been granted the right to run and vote in municipal elections, their lives are still dominated by their male relatives. Under “guardianship laws,” women need the permission of male relatives, usually the father or husband, to travel abroad or work, and many private hospitals require such permissions for women to undergo medical procedures.
Activists have hailed the move as progress — but say there is still a long way to go before women have equal rights to men in the kingdom.
“This long overdue move is welcome but it’s only a tiny fraction of what needs to be addressed over gender inequality in Saudi Arabia,” Amnesty International UK’s Karen Middleton said.
“Let’s not forget that Saudi Arabian women won’t actually be able to drive themselves to the voting booths as they are still completely banned from driving.
“They are still unable to travel, engage in paid work or higher education, or marry without the permission of a male guardian.”
