Determinants of Patriarchy in The Middle East : Hope for The 2030 Vision in A New Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This paper is examined the gender construction in Saudi Arabia. The reinforcement of kinship in Hijaz was a response to Al-Saud family power and prestige's, their influence and growth in number. This paper traces the meaning of "Aila" as the principal of Hijaz tribe on Urbanization and Modernization, reflected by the proverb, "I belong to nothing else but Ghuazaiyya (my tribe). And if Ghuazaiyya goes astray, I will follow. If it returns to the right path, I will do so". However, today Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has portrayed himself as a revolutionary leader and reform the current Hijaz, UAE, to be more progressive, especially on women's rights. Nevertheless, this progression was predicted slow, because the traditional group still has influence and the women itselves need to fight for their own rights against restrictives and patriarchal laws to improve their double standard status in that countries.

Variables Contributing to Academic Success among College Students in Saudi Arabia

“…The exception was the GAT across all colleges and quantitative competency in the College of Engineering for which no gender differences were found. These findings not only are consistent with the gender stratification hypothesis but also support Princess Ameerah al-Taweel's proposal that women's past deprivation of opportunities may fuel their determination to prove themselves, thereby making them capable of reversing trends of gender inequity in their favour (Soekarba, 2019). Notwithstanding the variability in the contribution of gender across college majors, gender was found to make a difference in most subject matters, suggesting that targeted interventions need to be developed at the start of students' educational journey to promote performance in male students.…”

“…The social context upon which the imported educational model sits can be characterized by a past of sustained gender inequity in educational and economic opportunities available to its youth (Alhareth, et al, 2015;Soekarba, 2019). For instance, until 2002, all levels of women's education were overseen by the Department of Religious Guidance, whereas the education of males was overseen by the Ministry of Education.…”

“…Although top-down attempts at systemic changes to increase the intellectual, economic, and political participation of women are undeniably important, the way opportunities are received by the recipients determines critically the success or failure of top-down interventions. According to Princess Ameerah al-Taweel, women's past deprivation of opportunities may reinforce their determination to prove themselves, thereby making them capable of reversing gender inequity trends in their favour (cited in Soekarba, 2019). Accordingly, traditional gender stereotypes may be thought of powerful motivators not for preserving the status quo (Bussey and Bandura, 1999), but for speeding up systemic change coming from the top.…”

The Representation of Women in Saudi Film: The Case of Amra and the Second Marriage

“…In the past, Saudi women lived in a patriarchal society that idealized them as perfect mothers, wives, and homemakers. According to Soekarba (2019), "Women in Saudi Arabia are regulated by those two subsystems, which are merely patriarchal in law and norms in the tribe" (p. 365). Moreover, until the 1950s, education in Saudi Arabia was limited to males (Khadhar, 2018), with the first private female school subsequently established in the 1960s (Maisel, 2013).…”