BEING a woman, a Muslim, an Arab and in the Kingdom with residence in Riyadh, is heroic. It takes superhuman characteristics to deal with the everyday battles. The GCC culture differs from the West in respect to the equality of women and this is a glaring issue in the region. Whereas Western women's equality movement happened throughout the early 1900s till the 1960s it still hasn't crossed-over to the Kingdom fully. Let's talk about women's struggles in terms of comic books. Superman (the comic book character) has been made and remade into movies over and over again. Supergirl? Not even a single film. Supergirl is Superman's female cousin who is just as superhuman as he is. Wonderwoman is a friend of Superman's and a teammate in the Justice League of America (it's kind of like the United Nations for superheroes). Both women are iconic figures and role models for young women to give them someone to look up to. Both have never had a movie made about them. The working world has always had levels of discrimination and annoyances that can make it tough to motivate a person to work. Especially for women in the Kingdom, these levels are magnified because of their gender. So a 9-5 job is never easy to handle, let alone when it spills over into extra hours that doesn't translate into overtime pay. But when you get off the work and continue to work non-stop, instead of resting, it's damn near heroic. Everybody knows that at the end of the working day the body slows down in function. Imagine if one job ends and another begins, be it raising a family or working another job, it takes a toll on the mind and body. Soldiers get trained for that ability to endure these grueling hours of non-stop exhaustion to prepare them for the rigors of war. But these soldiers are young, and are only exposed for a brief tour of duty. And in war, only the strong survive. There are many obstacles that hinder women from even breaking the barrier of equality that occur on a daily basis. Things such as acceptance from the opposite sex and financial stability according to Eiman Binyameen; a Saudi woman working at Alfaisal University, “Life is so hard, my husband and I struggle to provide the highest standards to our children. We have three boys who will need their high college fees paid and bank funds to secure them in the future, so I have to work to share the costs, and as for the other side of it, Saudi men are struggling to accept women working in a mixed working environment.” Another obstacle is that some men in the workplace misread women's signals such as Sondos Al-Jazairy a co-worker of Binyameen at Alfaisal, describes her previous experiences at her last job, “Most of the times a man doesn't look at a woman respectfully in the workplace. If I treat a man respectfully they interpret that as flirting where I faced that constantly.” Some men misuse their positions when they work with women to order them to do things that have nothing to do with work. Abir Ashour, an Egyptian-Canadian woman working at a laser treatment clinic, occasionally deals with male clients who tend to misunderstand her because she's a woman. “I deal with some men who make it difficult to convey my message to them.” The parents of Abir, Sondos, and Eiman are proud of their daughters working and encourage it. They wholly approve of their contribution in the workforce. Ashour's parents even go one step further: “My parents don't have a problem at all (working) as long as it's not an all-woman workplace.” The question of men's perception about women in the workplace creates a mixed-bag of opinions. Reem Al-Duwaisi, a Saudi mother of two who works at Alfaisal University, offers this explanation as to why some men think negatively: “Some men do (think negatively of women working) because of various reasons but mostly because they are intimidated.” Al-Jazairy, however, doesn't let anything faze her. “I don't care as long as they don't attack my character.” The women working at Alfaisal University have been working furiously to make sure things are on track for the opening, and constantly put in extra hours, not out of requirement, but out of their commitment to work and battling the stigma in society of women's inferiority. Binyameen added “I'd like the opportunity to have equal-rights at work, promotions, and pay-scale be adjusted equally. I've got the same educational background and nationality so why not?” It should be mentioned that Binyameen's current employer (Alfaisal University) has a work-environment that promotes equal opportunities for its women employees. The scales of balance between work and social life are more often than not tipped unfavorably to one side: work. “I work 24-7, and the only time (for a social life) is on the weekend and even then I spend that time with my dad” Ashour said. Binyameen adds that for working mothers there's additional pressure to find balance, “The guilty feeling for the working mother makes you give more with the time that you have and when you're working you feel more devoted.” Binyameen's co-worker Al-Duwaisi states: “Having two kids it's the hardest to have a career and spend time with them.” Aya Itani who is married but doesn't have children concurs: “It's harder to have an active social life, (when you have) to cook and clean the house. But on the other hand, it's still manageable when you don't have kids. It's the woman who usually encourages the husband to go out.” Al-Jazairy supports Itani's comment and adds, “When I'm not working I take a cooking course on how to make cakes from time to time.” These women are a reflection of how much stronger they have to be just to attain a normal semblance of a life that most men take for granted. To make it through another day they summon up every ounce of strength in their body to push forward, break barriers and whether they know it or not are pushing forward the cause of equal-rights. So what is it that drives a woman in the Kingdom to endure hardships of backbiting from some women who feel she should be a housewife instead of a working woman, harassment from her male colleagues and lack of recognition financially compared to her male counterpart? “Just to prove to myself that I am capable (of working),” Al-Duwaisi said. When asked as to whether or not she views herself as a torchbearer for women's rights, Al-Jazairy said,” Yes of course, because I'm working and interacting with men.” So why, why on earth would a woman go through this hardship? Well, Dave Matthews said it best with his band (Dave Matthews Band) in the song “You Might Die Trying” that “to change the world, start with one step, however small, the first step is hardest of all.” Truer words were never spoken. __
