http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=90927&d=14&m=1&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
Sunday, 14, January, 2007 (25, Dhul Hijjah, 1427)
Male Guardians Make It Hard for Women to Work
Arab News
RIYADH, 14 January 2007 - Attitudes toward working women in the Kingdom
are changing. Nonetheless, some working women find it difficult to balance the
demands of their careers and the needs of their husbands and families. This is
especially the case with women married to men who are unsympathetic to them
working.
Speaking to various career women, it does seem that the husbands and male
guardians of many do not take seriously the jobs that many women do.
Working woman Abeer Abdul Aziz says that the biggest stress that women
experience comes from their husbands. "Husbands are of two kinds: They are
either understanding and therefore do not demand their wives to be totally
perfect in everything. However, these types are the minority. The majority
demand perfection in everything. They wait for every mistake and will even
concoct them if none is forthcoming. These husbands demand particular types of
food, dress and more housecleaning and child care," she explained.
Abeer says that such husbands point out their wives' mistakes in order to
make them feel guilty. She wondered why husbands were so demanding of their
wives especially since working women do carry out a number of household chores.
"I think male guardians should stand by their women and support them rather
than adding to their stress," she said.
Fauzia Al-Yami is a single working woman who says she does not face any
problems from her family. "I believe married women are the ones who face
problems. They are forced to balance between their work and their families and
are asked to tolerate their husband's sometimes unreasonable demands," she said.
Munira Nadir feels that women have proven themselves to be more patient
and tolerant than men. "Women are able to tolerate the stresses that they face
at work and at home while men can't even discharge their own responsibilities,"
she said.
Some single Saudi women have also experienced difficulties from their
families. Sara Idrees is a student who is working as well. She says her family
initially did not want her to work, thinking she would not be able to study
properly. Nevertheless, after some insisting, she managed to convince them. "I
don't get to see my family during the week because of my busy schedule," she
said.
Tagreed Al-Barak is another student who is also working and studying. She
said that initially her family did not want her to work in a mixed-sex
environment. "They do not respect female jobs. I've had a lot of training
courses and I want to be an outstanding figure in society. But my family stands
as an obstacle between me and my career. They want me to leave my job because
they say they can't provide me with transportation."
Nura Al-Sulaiman lives with her mother, stepfather and siblings. Having
experienced problems at home, Nura said she found a job as a way to escape
home. "My stepfather is very harsh with me. He doesn't understand the fact that
a woman can also work. But he is unemployed himself and so agreed to let me
work. I told him that I would be paying for the household expenses and so he
agreed," she said.
Nura said that she has to cook and clean when she returns home. "I don't
have any rest. I do the cleaning, laundry and cooking. I then go to bed and
start another tough day," she said. "Nevertheless, he tells me every now and
then that he won't allow me to work. These are routine expressions that he says
the moment he sees me resting or putting some work aside. My mother is usually
out. She visits neighbors and friends in an attempt to escape the sad reality
of her life."
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