http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7§ion=0&article=120040&d=9&m=3&y=2009&pix=opinion.jpg&category=Opinion
Monday 9 March 2009 (13 Rabi` al-Awwal 1430)
Importance of having a woman as minister
Dr. Basma Al-Mutlaq | Arab News
The significant government reshuffle we recently witnessed in the Kingdom
suggests a willingness to effect change in an institution that has hitherto
excluded women on the grounds of religious and cultural customs. The scales are
still heavily weighted in favor of the male subject; nevertheless it is a
long-anticipated development that is welcomed by women here.
For those generations who have known nothing but exclusion and gender
apartheid, and have suffered an acute sense of alienation from their own
society in the past, it means a new leaning toward the integration of all
subjects, regardless of gender. This may seem a Utopian dream, but the hope
that we are at least moving in the direction of tolerance of the other and
openness toward different ideas, should motivate us to press for further
positive steps. Extremism of any kind has proven over and again to be a
perilous path that leads not only to horrific violence, and hatred and
intolerance for the "other", but also intimidates those who at present are
finding it difficult to integrate into a hostile environment.
On the subject of "hope", many people are hopeful that having a woman in
government will mean that the authorities will start an in-depth discussion on
the quality of teaching in girls' schools and colleges, and engage with
educators and other professionals on the best way to address long-standing and
chronic problems within the education system - a system that fails lamentably
to respond to the needs and aspirations of half of its young population.
As enthralled and excited as I and every one else in this country is to
see these changes happening, I believe that women need and deserve more than
one representative in government to address pressing issues - issues that are
at heart cultural. Deeply ingrained in the mentality of people and in the
fabric of this society are ideas and assumptions that give the male the lead
over women, and the right to control the physical and intellectual dimensions
of her life.
The appointment of young, educated men to positions within the new
government signifies a desire for renewal and a determination to defy some of
the prevalent medieval elements that persist at the highest levels. These
elements have for too long promoted toxic ideas about women that have resulted
in a shameful deterioration of women's overall social and economic status in a
country that prides itself on its wealth creation and technological progress.
I am surely not the only one who is tired of these clichés about women,
whereby they are not independent human beings full of dynamism and ideas, but
are "pearls in a shell" that should be protected and taken care of. Even more
insulting is the idea that "women are mentally and religiously incompetent" -
yet another false pretext for giving men the upper hand in their relations with
women. These interpretations of religious traditions not only result in
segregation of, and the imposition of rigid boundaries between the sexes, but
stipulate that it is a rule of faith that should be enforced with often brutal
policing methods. This is a major obstacle to the achievement of equality in
the work place for educated women, who still find themselves left out in the
cold, and must experience the disappointment of seeing less able men reach the
top of their careers. The fact that people in this country are rewarded
positions and salaries on the basis of their gender, not of their
qualifications or ability, makes it difficult to argue that women are not
discriminated against in the job market. Indeed, if one wants to talk about
competence, then we must question the wisdom of appointing an incompetent man
over a competent woman because of some misguided notion that one sex is
innately capable.
I can only hope that we will have more women representatives in
government in the near future, that women will be more visible in public, and
that major restrictions on mobility will be lifted to give women the space and
autonomy they need to recognize themselves as socially equal beings.
The imbalance of power between the sexes is a long overdue issue that
should be promptly addressed in the newly assembled government; it cannot be
overstated how important it is to have universal suffrage in a country that
wants to see itself as an equal partner in a globalized economy. We might be a
proud country, but we must ask ourselves whether this pride is justified as
long as we humiliate and alienate 50 percent of our population.
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