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I did not realize until writing this post about issues impacted by segregation that segregation of the sexes is such a controversial subject among readers. Therefore I thought it would be interesting to take a poll and see what readers think:
Filed under: culture, gender, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, travel, Women Issues
Saudi News
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See what we think? About what? I don’t see a question here.
Basically you have a chance to participate in the poll with your vote on whether or not you agree with segregation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia.
I’m confused.. the only thing I saw to vote for was if I lived inside or outside the Kingdom…
I voted.
However, I noticed that you have 15 total votes on the actual question and only 8 on the gender question. It would be interesting to be able to tie the gender to the answer provided, thereby being able to see if there was a trend among a certain group or to get percentages as to which way people voted based on their gender.
I’m still trying to figure this “add a poll” feature out and do apologize.
I ‘thought’ I had the following questions:
Do you agree with segregation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia?
Are you muslim or non-muslim?
Are you male or female?
Do you live in or outside of Saudi Arabia?
Again, I’m sorry that the polling feature is not working as I had hoped and I’m sure it is due to operator error.
It doesn’t really make much sense if you can’t determine from the poll answers ‘People in KSA that are female and Muslim agree with segregation’ or am I mistaken and it does put the votes together for you that way?
well…the concept is that it would put together statistics but not all the questions I devised are appearing so all one can mainly see from this attempt at a poll is whether readers agree or disagree with segregation of the sexes in KSA. c’est la vie.
I just voted
If you were to ask the old me about the issue of segregation, I would’ve told you that I totally agree with it. Now I don’t
It’s a bit complicated. Most of our problems stem from the fact that the dominant sex (males) are almost unaware of our own problems. Both genders also lack the knowledge on how the opposite gender thinks.
I can’t explain it, and I wish I could express my point of view without sounding like I’m stepping over the boundaries of religion, but I can’t.
take care
magicrealism,
Welcome and thank you for your comment. Please do not hesitate to share more views if you’d like.
I just looked at the results of voting and found out that 11 voters were male and 11 voters agreed with segregation of genders. Isn’t it strange
while it would be easy to conclude that those 11 votes may have come from men, knowing the views of some of the individuals who have voted I can say that not all those 11 votes came from men!
That was fun to do!
glad you liked the poll but wish I could figure out how to easily have more than one question per poll!
Bedu- on segregation I think one element we shy away from is discrimination- which occurs with or without segregation any way- but is compunded in segregation- from what I have read on blogs from KSA there is the turbulent undertow of discriminating practices that affect segregation and even contradict it in KSA.
Examples: a non Saudi can be the driver of a Saudi woman; yet no Saudi can be the driver of saudi women (or may want to be)- or a non Saudi woman can be the maid in a Saudi household even remain in the house alone with Saudi men; or (but healthcare is different or not in KSA) a non saudi nurse can take care of saudi patients, travel alone (female) in an ambulance- but a saudi nurse in many cases won’t even get hired-
Maybe that undertone should be explored- though it can open a Pandora’s box- that remains to be seen- also solutions would not necessarily come from the conversation but might help enlighten us to its presence as much as some or many might not like to admit to.
With all that said I don’t in any way mean we don’t have discrimination in the world- here on this side of the pond its as pervasive, incidious and damaging as anywhere else- but speaking about it might diminish its flaming burn…and give us a new perspective or ideas to mitigate it…
Inal – you raise very true and valid points and as I’ve probably said hundreds of times by now, Saudi Arabia is contrasts and contradictions and you have pointed out some of the most obvious with your comment. I think it could make a fascinating research study if anyone were so inclined.
I still wish I could figure out how a poll can have more than one question to make it easier to compile statistical data. However, as of today, Sunday, 7 December the results are as follows:
31 voted yes to segregation of the sexes in Saudi Arabia.
88 are opposed.
6 are undecided.
Of those who have voted,
69 voters are muslim.
38 voters are non-muslim.
27 are male.
77 are female.
39 live in KSA.
81 live outside of KSA.
I do advocate the end of segregation but where would the limits be placed once gender segregation ends? Its a hard to answer question because it all depends on situation. Each situation requires tact in solving and there is no fixed solution to segregation.
There is always some segregation everywhere. Look at bathrooms, or changingrooms. I’d absolutely refuse to use a non-segregated changing room!
And at my students association we had sort of sub-associations, called Disputes, They would choose new members every year, some were running for nearly a hundred years.
They were all segregated, bar one. We had only one succesful mixed Dispute ever. Somehow it never worked out having them mixed.
The poll needs to be tweaked a bit, Bedu. Absolute agreement or disagreement is nearly impossible, because neither situation would promote the common good.
Aafke observes that there is always some natural segregation everywhere. Even here in the States, when families get together, you’ll find the women in the kitchen, chatting while cleaning, and the men in the living room, hollering at the TV.
I grew to appreciate segregation when I lived in Riyadh, but it was always taken to an uncomfortable extreme.
I’m not sure if I am really in favor of this built in poll feature or not since it does not seem to let me do what I want it to do. c’est la vie.
Yes; in Saudi, most things are taken to the extreme.
Pending the current mentality of the majority of population, I would think that removing all forms of segragation would cause many problems. Many people, even youth, are simply uncomfortable and not ready for it…..
I would say that personally I have no problem with segregation at work or school, but would like to see less of it when it comes to going for coffee or restaurants….
Ultimately in Islam it is clear that : ‘ a man and a woman should not be together behind closed doors’ and I agree with that, but it never mentioned public segregation….
Thus I would simply follow the teachings of the Koran and remove unecessary forms of segregation, while at the same time trying to respect the feelings of the majority of the polulation..
Do you think that one day, Saudi’s can learn to segregate themselves to a level that is acceptable to them rather than requiring it to be forced upon them with the full force of the law and Satanistic Muttawa?
Do you think one day the Saudi’s will be capable of segregating themselves to a level that is acceptable to them rather than having it enforced by the full extent of the law and the satanic Muttawa?
Dear Ryan, I do not think it is an issue of being ‘capable’.
We are not talking about capability at all in this case.
Dont forget that Saudi Arabia was and is a tribal society, to a great extend. Despite the city life that people now lead, it is not very far back that people lived in tribes and within the tribe there was segregation. They had very different family and social norms to the west and I find nothing wrong with that.
Thus they are following a pattern or lifestyle that is natural to them and in my opinion neither needs to be enforced, i.e by the mutaween or altered.
If the norms of the society change over time to less segregation that is fine and if some people want it again it is perfectly OK.
What the Koran recommends, as I mentioned before is very simple and in no case has it ever suggested mass segregation in public.
GigiGirls, perhaps you didn’t get the point I was trying to make. Simply, when will the country be able to remove the laws and the muttawa who help to enforce the segregation and the laws? IE Becoming capable of segregating themselves without these insecurity-based aids.