Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Do women have any rights in Saudi Arabia?
Apart from being a land of controversies and unimaginable fortunes from its vast mineral resources, the western lens often paints Saudi Arabia as oppressing its women. Although gender inequality is considered a worldwide issue, it seems amplified in Saudi Arabia, via stark segregation of genders and public attire stemming from cultural and religious perceptions.. A closer inspection, however, unveils a more complex picture.
From the perspective of the Saudi Arabian government, there is only a slight inequality between men and women in the country.
According to the global gender gap index, Saudi Arabia ranked 126 out of 146 countries with a score of 0.64. A score of 1 would indicate that a country closed its gender gap completely. Sectioning that score, the Kingdom nearly closes the gender gap on education, but struggles with political empowerment. Only recently, their economic participation and opportunity score started to improve.
