Gender Inequality in Middle East - 1029 Words

Introduction Gender inequality has always been a prevailing issue that affects countries all over the world. It is not limited to a specific country, or a region. Yet, in Middle Eastern countries, gender discrimination is often so deeply entrenched in the culture that it is seen as the norm. In the 2010 Freedom House report on Middle Eastern women’s rights, Saudi Arabia was ranked the lowest (Doumato, 2010). As women, they face prejudice and discrimination on a daily basis and are often relegated to a second-class citizen. Hence, in this report, I will be covering the discrimination faced by women in Saudi Arabia with regards to the following issues, social and marriage. 1. First Issue- Social As a Muslim dominated country, much of†¦show more content†¦Despite a ban on forced marriage in 2005, most of the marriages are still decided by the parents and a large number of women are married off even before they hit 18. This is seen in the case of Shareefa, who was married off to an 80 year old man by her father in exchange for money when she was 10. She was then divorced by her husband a few days after the marriage without her knowledge and abandoned 6 months later in the streets. (Hawar, 2010) Even after getting married, some women still face domestic violence, in the form of physical abuse, forced confinement and even spousal rape. (Doumato, 2010) 2.1 Analysis Early and forced marriages of these Saudi Arabic women might lead to a high maternal mortality rate. This can lead to skewed demographics as the proportion of females decrease drastically and fewer women give birth to replace themselves. In addition, early marriages deprived these women of a normal childhood, education and freedom. Generations of women will end up without a formal education and means to fend for themselves which will make them more reliant on men. Once married, full obedience is expected out of them and they face domestic abuse for behaving otherwise. Yet, there are no exact statistics of domestic violence due to the refusal of these women to report their cases to relevant authorities. They fear speaking up and suffer the consequences of damaging their family honour. These women have nowhere to turn to. TheShow MoreRelatedGender Equality And Gender Inequality921 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to the dictionary, the definition of gender equality is the state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender. Gender inequality is happening, where women have less control over resources, less power than males, and fewer opportunities across social, economic, and political life. Gender inequality is happening because of women’s physical difference in education, work pay and job opportunities, family and culture, religion, and government. 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