The modern Saudi woman is no longer confined to playing the role of stay-at-home mom. Law, business, engineering, medicine and design are just some of the fields Saudi women have penetrated, proving their contribution as worthy as their male counterparts. And while the new developments are good for the progress of both Saudi society and the national economy, experts say women's increasingly-prominent role in society has led to a rise in legal issues and many are unable to claim their rights due to a lack of awareness, Al-Riyadh daily reports. The most common cases being reviewed in the Kingdom's courts involve divorce, child custody, khula (divorce on wife's demand) and infidelity. Labor disputes and harassment cases are also on the rise. According to attorney Majed Garoub, the number of legal cases involving women is on the rise due to a lack of public awareness on the legal and Shariah rights of women both at home and the workplace. Abdulaziz Al-Shabrami, a former judge, said personal status cases, which include divorce, alimony and child custody, have become very common. He called on the media to shed more light on women's rights and issues and raise their awareness about these rights. "Men should be fully aware of the consequences of assaulting or harassing women so that they do not commit such acts. All civil society institutions should recognize the importance of women's rights and champion such rights. They should play an active and positive role in educating women about their rights," he said. Mazen Al-Oufi, a lawyer, explained that the Shariah does not differentiate between men and women when it comes to legal rights. A woman can be a plaintiff or a defendant and she can represent herself before a judge or appoint legal counsel to appear on her behalf. "The laws allow women to file a case at the court of the city where they live even if the defendant does not live in the same city. This is an exception made only for women because the laws stipulate that cases related alimony, child custody and visitation rights should be filed at the court of the city where the defendant lives. This exception makes it easy for women to go to a court where they live and file a case without having to travel to another city," he explained. Sexual harassment Khloud Al-Rawashda, a lawyer, said more efforts are needed to combat sexual harassment of women at the workplace, a relatively new phenomenon that followed women's entry into the job market. "I believe that most women today are aware of their rights although many of them resort to the legal system when it's too late and after the damage has been done. Some of them do not make the decision to go to court because of a fear of repercussions at home and from society," she said. Dr. Lulu'a Al-Braikan, assistant professor at Princess Noura University, agreed that women have gained awareness about their rights and many of them now file for divorce because they do not want to be part of a doomed marital relationship, especially if they are working and financially independent. "Divorce is no longer viewed as a social stigma as it was in the past. The increase in divorce rates is directly linked with women's financial independence, which is a result of women entering the job market," she said.
