The Gender Segregation (ikhtilāṭ) Debate in Saudi Arabia: Reform and the Clash between ʿUlamāʾ and Liberals

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Meijer
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Gender Segregation

Filipino Guest Workers, Gender Segregation, and the Changing Social/Labor-Scape in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-512
Author(s):  
Simeon S. Magliveras
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Major Part ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Guest Workers ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Gcc Countries ◽  
Overseas Filipino Workers ◽  
Dress Codes ◽  
Social Labor

Filipinos are a major part of the workforce in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a population of almost one million. This article investigates the effects of gender segregation on Filipino workers and how they navigate their lives through systems imposed on them. In particular, it examines the Kafala system (administrative sponsoring system) used for recruiting migrant workers for GCC countries. This article suggests that contrary beliefs about gender segregation and dress codes, Filipinas found it empowering. However, this article also concludes that gender segregation and dress codes also lead to isolation and loneliness. In addition, it is concluded that the fate and contentment of the overseas Filipino workers are directly dependent on who sponsors them.

scholarly journals The Use of Avatars in Gender Segregated Online Learning Within MOOCs in Saudi Arabia - A Rwaq Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raniah Adham ◽  
Pat Parslow ◽  
Yota Dimitriadi ◽  
Karsten Øster Lundqvist
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Education Technology ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Ultimate Objective ◽  
Arabian Platform

<p class="3">In Saudi Arabia, gender-segregation is a known issue within higher education that often deprives female tutors from providing online learning and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). As well, students may not be getting the benefit of their experience and teaching. The purpose of this study is to develop an Avatar tool to represent a female tutor in a MOOC course with the aim of alleviating the issues of a gender-segregated society in online learning. This project will undertake and analyse a case study concerning the experience of females teaching a MOOC course on “Rwaq” the first Saudi Arabian platform, which was launched in September 2013. The literature on gender-segregation and education technology is reviewed. As an example, gender-segregated in higher education and online learning in Saudi Arabia, Virtual Learning Environments (VLE), Avatar technology in higher education, and finally the adoption of an Avatar tool in MOOCs platforms in SA are examined. One of the objectives of the study is to develop a social interaction environment with learners in online learning within MOOCs. The ultimate objective of this study is to examine if this Avatar tool could alleviate issues of gender-segregation for female lecturers in online learning courses within MOOCs in higher education in Saudi Arabia.</p>

scholarly journals Can Mobile Learning Technology Close the Gap Caused by Gender Segregation in the Saudi Educational Institutions?

10.28945/4634 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 655-670
Author(s):  
Talal M. Alasmari
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Mobile Learning Technology

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the educational gap between males and females caused by gender segregation in Saudi educational institutions and the role of Mobile Learning Technology (MLT) in bridging this gap through the emphasis on teaching practices, learning resources, and opportunities, as well as participation in campus life. Background: There is a gender gap over the access to educational opportunities and facilities raised by the segregation in educational institutions in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi society, school campuses have been always been restricted due to the cultural and social values of the native people. The practice of segregation extends across all social aspects of life including education. This has resulted in a gender preferred educational system that highly favors males over females in terms of teaching, learning opportunities, facilities, and resources, as well as the participation of activities on campus. This has become disadvantageous for female students because it has limited their equal access to learning opportunities, sometimes trained by less experienced instructors, and has led thus to an unfair academic performance. Methodology: An online surveying system was used with a population of all female students who are enrolled in 13 colleges located in Jeddah. The size of the population was 15,171 students. The sampling technique was probabilistic random in which only 300 questionnaires were received back, and only 187 out of 300 questionnaires were fully answered. The study is descriptive, and it used a quantitative survey method with a cross-sectional collected data. Contribution: This study supported instructors and higher education administrators in adopting MLT to overcome some cultural gaps caused due to segregation by adding literature on MLT contribution to the enhancement of higher education opportunities for women in Saudi Arabia. This study is the first of its kind in the context of Saudi Arabia to delve into the role of MLT in closing the gender gap through making an effective Saudi higher education system policy. Findings: There are some challenges experienced by Mobile Learning Technology to close the gap caused by gender segregation in the Saudi educational institutions in relation to some dimensions that include demographic data, teaching gap, content, educational opportunities, participation in campus life, and the use of mobile learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: This study recommends that the educators should consider the need to implement Mobile Learning Technology in the educational system of Saudi Arabia as a means of bridging the everlasting gap of gender separation, especially in schools, and also to empower female students to compete at the same level with their counterpart male students. Recommendation for Researchers: Further research is expected to focus on effective implementation in Mobile Learning in female campuses as well as government assistance of promoting Mobile Learning in both public and private schools of female campuses. Impact on Society: The study findings could be highly beneficial for understanding the problems that confront equality and transparency in education between male and female and how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools could help guarantee equality in education. Future Research: Future studies could be extended to other areas of assisted online education tools. Furthermore, measures can be implemented to enhance transparency and equality between males and females in education, which could be associated with satisfaction levels for both sides.

Dynamics of Internet Use: Saudi Youth, Religious Minorities and Tribal Communities

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadav Samin
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
New Media ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Bulletin Board ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Traditional Values ◽  
Political Ideas ◽  
Bulletin Boards ◽  
And Gender

AbstractInternet bulletin boards provide an important window into public discourse in relatively restrictive societies like Saudi Arabia. Examining the discourse on two Saudi Internet bulletin boards, one representing a Najdi tribe, the other a Shi'ite community in eastern Saudi Arabia, it is possible to observe the complex and often competing ends toward which new media in the Middle East are used. The bulletin board of the Najdi and Qahtan tribe reveals a community engaged in intensive debates over issues such as intermarriage between tribal and non-tribal Saudis and the participation of women on tribal Internet forums. The discussions on the Qahtan board represent an attempt to defend the largely state-supported prerogatives of tribal exclusivism and gender segregation against encroachment by women and non-tribal minorities, whose voices can be increasingly heard through the cracks of the Internet. The discussions on the Al-Ahsa Cultural Board show other important dynamics within the Saudi state. Here, young Saudi Shi'ites congregate to discuss cultural and political concerns from (in the context of Saudi society) what might be termed a countercultural perspective. A review of Internet bulletin board use among disparate social groups within Saudi society reveals the way in which discussion forums can allow for more freedom in the exchange of religious and political ideas, while at the same time enabling the reinforcement and entrenchment of traditional values and norms within a contemporary context.

Reform in Saudi Arabia: The Gender-Segregation Debate

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 80-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roel Meijer
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Gender Segregation

Going Online: Saudi Female Intellectual Preachers in the New Media

2020 ◽  
pp. 107-131
Author(s):  
Laila Makboul
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
New Media ◽  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Participation ◽  
Gender Norms ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Public Criticism

This chapter examines the phenomenon of female intellectual preachers (dāʿiyāt muthaqqafāt) in Saudi Arabia, their engagement in the new media and by extension their participation in the public sphere. Having their public participation conditioned on preserving strict physical gender segregation, this chapter argues that the new media have facilitated the engagement and presence of the dāʿiyāt muthaqqafāt in the wider public on an unprecedented level. However, new challenges in terms of transgressions of constructed gender norms and exposure to increased public criticism and political vulnerability have also followed their presence in the new media. Consequently, this chapter contends that although the new media has been utilized to permeate the public sphere and, in many ways, has revolutionized their public participation, it has also altered the engagement of dāʿiyāt muthaqqafāt in profound ways and ultimately exposed them to greater social and political vulnerability.

scholarly journals The Effect of Interviewers’ Genders on the Quantity and Quality of Their Interviewees’ Output: A Comparative Inquiry among Saudi Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Ahmad I Alhojailan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Saudi Students ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Same Gender ◽  
Comparative Inquiry

Gender segregation is widely established in Saudi Arabia, and this may affect the interviewing dynamic in conducting spoken tests. Such an effect could pose significant consequences for interviewees; for example, it might affect their ability to obtain high scores in the speaking sections of standardized tests (e.g., the IELTS). This could prevent them from enrolling in universities in English speaking countries (e.g., United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada) as well as other universities that require such tests for enrollment purposes. As such, this study attempts to explore whether the gender of an interviewer can affect how a respondent forms their answer in terms of both depth and length. In this study, two interviewers (a male and a female) interviewed six Saudis of both genders, comprising a total of 12 interviews. The results showed that when both the interviewer and the interviewee were of the same gender, interviewees’ responses tended to be lengthy, and they were more likely to expand their response to other related topics. On the other hand, when both the interviewer and the interviewee were not of the same gender, brevity and/or avoidance characterized their answers.

Gender equality in employment in Saudi Arabia: a relational perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jawad Syed ◽  
Faiza Ali ◽  
Sophie Hennekam
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Social Power ◽  
Gender Segregation ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Agency ◽  
Relational Perspective ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine gender inequality in Saudi Arabia by using a relational perspective that takes into account the interrelated nature of the multilevel factors that influence this phenomenon.Design/methodology/approachA total of 21 in-depth interviews with female employees in Saudi Arabia were conducted and analysed using a thematic analysis.FindingsThe findings show how the interplay of factors on macro, meso and micro levels influences equal opportunities for women in Saudi Arabia, such as religio-cultural factors, the social power ofwasta, the notions of female modesty and family honour and issues related to gender segregation, discrimination and harassment at work. Moreover, Saudi women’s experiences are varied on the basis of social class, family status and other dimensions of individual identity, adding to a growing body of intersectional research. The paper highlights the role of male guardianship system as well as the intersection of gender and class in pushing gender equality forward.Originality/valueThis study stresses the interrelated nature of the multilevel factors that affect gender equality and highlights the important role of individual agency and resilience.

Confidence toward vaccination as reported by parents of children admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A cross sectional study

Vacunas ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.M. AlGoraini ◽  
N.N. AlDujayn ◽  
M.A. AlRasheed ◽  
Y.E. Bashawri ◽  
S.S. Alsubaie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Tertiary Care Hospital ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional
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