Women's rights in Saudi Arabia

Saudi women face severe discrimination in many aspects of their lives, including education, employment, and the justice system. Although they make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, women make up just 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia [2], the lowest proportion in the world. Implementation of a government resolution supporting expanded employment opportunities for women met resistance from within the labor ministry[3], from the religious police [4], and from the male citizenry[5]. These institutions and individuals generally claim that according to Sharia a woman's place is in the home caring for her husband and family.

In the legal system, women face discrimination as the criminal laws of Saudi Arabia adhere to strict Islamic precepts. An example of this is are the requirements for testifying in criminal proceedings; The witness must be deemed sane, the age of an adult, and a Muslim. Non-Muslims may not testify in criminal court. Women may not testify unless it is a personal matter that did not occur in the sight of men. The testimony of a woman is not regarded as fact but as presumption. The reasons women are forbidden to testify in criminal proceedings are (quote):

1. Women are much more emotional than men and will, as a result of their emotions, distort their testimony.

2. Women do not participate in public life, so they will not be capable of understanding what they observe.

3. Women are dominated completely by men, who by the grace of God are deemed superior; therefore, women will give testimony according to what the last man told them.

4. Women are forgetful, and their testimony cannot be considered reliable.

As a result of these laws women are particularly vulnerable in cases of assault and/or rape, as their testimony is treated as a presumption, while that of their attackers is accepted as fact.

Women are not allowed to drive or ride bicycles on public roads in large cities. However, most women are capable of driving, and some do so on rural roads illegally.[citation needed] Women are allowed to fly aircraft, though they must be chauffeured to the airport.[6] Education, although limited, has become an important aspect. Religious police enforce a modest code of dress; foreign women are also expected to wear abaya, violators may face caning, harassment or fines. There are numerous legal restrictions of what kind of jobs women can do (as to prevent their direct contact with men). Progressively over the decades, many foreigners residing in the Kingdom have reported that enforcement of dress code laws has become slightly less strict.[citation needed] Institutions from schools to ministries to restaurants are always sex-segregated. Women cannot be admitted to a hospital, examined by a doctor, travel abroad or leave the house without the express permission and/or company of an immediate male relative. After their first menstrual cycle, women must cover their entire body in a long black cloak (abaaya) as according to tradition.[citation needed] Failing to do so results in severe punishment.