Step By Step: How Saudi Arabian Women Are Turning Dreams Into Reality

On April 8, 2010 I attended one of the most exciting and informative forums sponsored by The Chicago Council On Global Affairs. This forum was part of THE WOMEN AND GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM and the subject entitled: More Than Half the Kingdom: Today's Saudi Woman. The distinguished guest speakers were Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bint Bander Al Saud- President and CEO, ALFA International and AL HAMA LLC and Dr. Basmah Al Omair- Executive Director, AlSayedah Khadijah Bint Khawilid Businesswomen and Lobbying Center, Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Her Royal Highness Princess Reema and Dr. Al Omair were raised in the US, educated and earned degrees at prestigious universities in Washington, D.C., since graduating they have used their education to spark awarness on the condition of Saudi Arabian women struggling for equality and basic rights.

This forum gave Her Royal Highness Princess Reema and Dr. Al Omair an opportunity to discuss the issues of women in Saudi Arabia and how they are helping to empower and lobby for rights that are a challenge in the Middle East due to struggling reform movements and by the rise of political Islam that hampers women improvements.

According to the book, Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming The Middle East, written by successful author Isobel Coleman it states "unemployment among its youth is extremely high, approaching 30 percent for men and even higher levels for women". With the rise in unemployment, there is a need for change and Saudi Arabia have the population of women seeking to be employed and seeking to be self-employed which would help their economy. Still Saudi women are held back eventhough they are internationally recognized as doctors, prominent businesswomen, PH. D economists and scientists, heads of university departments, deans of colleges, journalists and attorneys but they still cannot drive home or take part to vote in a local election.

It is known that women struggle and try to meet the challenges of their male counterparts when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder of success. In the US, those challenges have been met and the gap has closed significantly. In the US there are much more women appointed as chief executive officers, chairperson, elected officials and entrepreneurs. However when it comes to Arab countries, for women it ranks the worst in terms of economic, political, social and judicial freedoms.

The struggles that women faced and in many areas are still struggling with in the US is no match to what the women in Saudi Arabia face on a daily basis. To be free, to own a business to pursue an education is a concept that is not to be contemplated, but more and more women in Saudi Arabia are finding ways to fight against this and empower themselves with a new way of thinking and a new way of life.

The efforts of young women such as Her Royal Highness Reema and Dr. Al Omair are pushing for educational changes, economic changes and even legal changes. For example, according to information in Ms. Coleman's book, women comprise more than 60 percent of all Saudi college graduates but only 5 percent of the workforce. Ms. Coleman further states that this is due to "tradition, regulation and discrimination that keep women at home".

Dr. Al Omair spoke so eloquently about how males and females at one time were not able to work side by side in the workplace. Tradition has it that males and females are not to be in the same room at the same time. But this tradition is slowly changing and more and more women are now in the workplace sitting side by side with their male counterparts and taking an more active role in the work place as well. Dr. Al Omair continued to state how women are now getting better outdoor conditions in terms of setting up their business and tents on the roads. It was a time that women were pushed onto the far corners on the roads and not having a good view of the public to sell their goods. But thanks to reform by women leaders like Dr. Al Omair and Her Royal Highness Princess Reema, women are now located in areas with have great views and access to the public for successful selling of goods and services.

Change is undoubedly happening in the kingdom and many proposals have been taken to King Abdullah who has passed laws and made changes for the improvement of life for women in Saudi Arabia.

This is not the time to let traditons and misunderstandings lead to petty miscommunications. We need to stand behind women struggling in the Middle East, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa improve themselves. Yes, in the US there is still an ongoing challenge for women to have more representation, more equality when it comes to the pay scale and making decisions on what is best for our children within the healthcare system but the more we stand up and object to such treatment of women in Saudi and other places, the more we strengthen ourselves and for the children of the future.

Step by step, improvements are being made for women globally but each step starts with you and me.