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Women's Networks and Empowerment in Saudi Arabia
Abstract
This research aims at exploring women’s networks and its effects on women’s empowerment in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, people have gathered in different settings to strengthen their relationships, exchange information, and ask/provide help for those who are in need. In general theories, urbanization is thought to help individualization of a society as a result of collapsed system of extended families. Contrary to the theories, in Saudi Arabia, forms of gatherings seem to get diversified as a result of urbanization. It is said that Saudi women in the past frequently had family/neighbor gatherings at home. Border between family and neighbor is often blurred, since extended families live very close, and their neighbors are, in many cases, identical to extended family members. It was in the 1970s and 1980s when rapid urbanization took place in Saudi Arabia. People moved to the urban areas of Hijaz, Nejd, and Eastern Provinces. Women in urban cities who have achieved higher educational and professional job started new forms of gatherings to deepen their friendships among school friends and colleagues, which is relatively a new phenomenon for working educated women. This study points out the characteristics of sex-segregated gatherings that are commonly held among men and women. While men may gather at houses, tents, isitiraha, as their gathering points, women have mainly used houses for their gatherings. This study focuses on women’s gatherings based on my firsthand research in Saudi Arabia. In the meantime, this study sheds light on the difference between workingwomen and housewives who maintain their family gatherings, through which they strengthen their ties and solidarity by mutually helping each other. This study aims at exploring various kinds of gatherings that women in urban cities host/join, and understand the dynamism of the women’s network in terms of women’s empowerment. This study is also expected to help unpack the images of Saudi women, who are often portrayed as helpless victims of male dominant society.
Discipline
Sociology
Geographic Area
Saudi Arabia
Sub Area
Gender/Women's Studies