GENDER ROLES IN SAUDI ARABIAN SOCIETY AND POLITICS
Corresponding author:
[email protected]
Accepted
27 March 2026
Available Online
15 November 2015
Abstract
THIS ARTICLE TRIES TO UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANT ROLE THAT GENDER EQUALITY OR INEQUALITY HAS IN SHAPING SOCIAL ORDER, INTERNAL AFFAIRS, FOREIGN POLICY AND ECONOMICS. IT DOES THIS BY ST UDYING HOW GENDER EQUALITY IS PERCEIVED AND APPLIED IN SAUDI ARABIA – A KEY MIDDLE EAST ACTOR AND A MUSLIM STATE. WE WILL SEE HOW GENDER GAP IS OFTEN DEFINED BY A SET OF FACTORS SUCH AS RELIGION, ECONOMICS, HISTORIC CONTEXT OR EVEN FOREIGN POLICY. IN SOME CASES, GENDER INEQUALITY IS FORMALIZED BY LAW, AS IS THE CASE OF SAUDI ARABIA. BASED ON STATISTICS AND EXAMPLES WE WILL SHOW THE PROPORTIONATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENDER EQUALITY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ECONOMIC GROWTH OR SOCIAL ORDER AND HOW THE SOCIAL FA BRIC AND PERFORMANCE OF A STATE IS INFLUENCED BY HOW IT TREATS ITS FEMALE POPULATION. SAUDI ARABIA HAS ITS SHARE OF WOMEN ACTIVISTS, NOTABLY MANAL AL -SHARIF, THAT MAKE A STRONG ARGUMENT FOR GENDER EQUALITY.
Keywords
GENDER EQUALITY
GENDER GAP
SAUDI ARABIA
HUMAN RIGHTS
RELIGION
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