Comments on: Saudi women can work as housemaids http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/ Promoting a fierce but respectful dialogue among the highly diverse youth of the Middle East Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:26:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=372 By: Nissim Dahan (Israel/USA) http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141606 Nissim Dahan (Israel/USA) Sat, 03 May 2008 18:47:07 +0000 http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141606 I think this is a positive step on the long road to promoting women's rights in Saudi and the whole of the Middle East. The minister is acknowledging a woman's right to choose her line of work, even if that choice is at odds with conservative thinking. If we extrapolate from this, we can envision the happy day when women will have a right to choose all sorts of things: who she wishes to marry, how she should partner with her husband, what career path to follow, what to do with her body, who she wishes to pray with, what business plan she wishes for her business, what party she should decide to lead, and how she is to lead her country. And the choice a Saudi woman makes will determine the path her country will follow, and the destiny of the Middle East as a whole. So a lot is at stake, in allowing a woman to make a choice, even the honorable choice to make her living by "cleaning up," around the house. I think this is a positive step on the long road to promoting women’s rights in Saudi and the whole of the Middle East. The minister is acknowledging a woman’s right to choose her line of work, even if that choice is at odds with conservative thinking. If we extrapolate from this, we can envision the happy day when women will have a right to choose all sorts of things: who she wishes to marry, how she should partner with her husband, what career path to follow, what to do with her body, who she wishes to pray with, what business plan she wishes for her business, what party she should decide to lead, and how she is to lead her country.

And the choice a Saudi woman makes will determine the path her country will follow, and the destiny of the Middle East as a whole. So a lot is at stake, in allowing a woman to make a choice, even the honorable choice to make her living by “cleaning up,” around the house.

]]> By: Mohammad Memarian (Iran) http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141356 Mohammad Memarian (Iran) Sat, 03 May 2008 06:08:32 +0000 http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141356 this happened to become a law in Iran several years ago, and I think it may be a good starting point to improve women's conditions: "if your wife is to do the household, pay her as you would have to pay an ordinary housemaid." this happened to become a law in Iran several years ago, and I think it may be a good starting point to improve women’s conditions: “if your wife is to do the household, pay her as you would have to pay an ordinary housemaid.”

]]> By: Esra'a (Bahrain) http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141167 Esra'a (Bahrain) Fri, 02 May 2008 18:39:45 +0000 http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141167 Now if only he would address the other problem: why are there widespread issues concerning "cheap labour" in Saudi Arabia? At least 19,000 maids run away each year due to abuse and severe working conditions. The government, and the ministry of labor especially, has done absolutely nothing to appease the situation. In fact you see him resort to saying something like, "people can simply hire cheap labor" - hmm! South Asian workers have suffered under too many racist policies, where such wise words apply to citizens only, when in fact migrant/expat workers in Saudi lack a significant amount of rights... and their labour is far too "cheap" for them to even afford a decent living. Time to change that. At least you can see him willing to open the floor to controversial discussions though where overwhelmingly conservative and shallow claims are shot down, like women not being able to choose "unacceptable" professions like house keeping even when they are perfectly legitimate and in fact respectable. Now if only he would address the other problem: why are there widespread issues concerning “cheap labour” in Saudi Arabia? At least 19,000 maids run away each year due to abuse and severe working conditions. The government, and the ministry of labor especially, has done absolutely nothing to appease the situation. In fact you see him resort to saying something like, “people can simply hire cheap labor” - hmm! South Asian workers have suffered under too many racist policies, where such wise words apply to citizens only, when in fact migrant/expat workers in Saudi lack a significant amount of rights… and their labour is far too “cheap” for them to even afford a decent living. Time to change that.

At least you can see him willing to open the floor to controversial discussions though where overwhelmingly conservative and shallow claims are shot down, like women not being able to choose “unacceptable” professions like house keeping even when they are perfectly legitimate and in fact respectable.

]]> By: Simon Columbus http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141133 Simon Columbus Fri, 02 May 2008 17:16:23 +0000 http://www.mideastyouth.com/2008/05/02/saudi-women-can-work-as-housemaids/#comment-141133 These are wise words the minister spoke. There's more then one colleague who could learn from him. Lesson: "Common sense and its practical use in politics". These are wise words the minister spoke. There’s more then one colleague who could learn from him. Lesson: “Common sense and its practical use in politics”.

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