Gender Reform in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates: A comparative study

Abstract

The Middle East is a region rife with conflict and war, with no shortage of its own problems. A region that is strategic yet hotly contested by various powers, from which it derives its rather unique socio-political and cultural landscape. A common consensus is that due to its relatively outdated values and constant power struggle, the Middle East region as a whole is one where vulnerable groups, such as refugees, children, and most notably women, suffer from mistreatment and lack of adequate rights. Despite that, the region still shows large gaps in treatment and rights to these groups, even between neighbors. One of the most striking cases is Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Despite being direct neighbors, both nations have vastly different approaches to matters such as gender issues. Where Saudi Arabia still struggles with basic democratization and emancipation -such as during the Arab Spring wave of protests- the UAE instead has embraced a more forward way of thinking, allowing opportunities for women to serve in official government representative offices. Our study will examine the case between these two countries, and what factors created this diverging path, using qualitative observations of the two nations’ stance on gender-related matters.