How Lucky We Are To Be American Women

For the first time in history, women were allowed to vote and stand in municipal elections last month.  When I heard this, I thought to myself "How great this is for the women of Saudi Arabia."  When I thought further, I realized that if they couldn't vote, they couldn't do a lot of other things.  We've all heard about the restrictive lives of Saudi women, but when you enumerate them and see them in black and white, it makes you appreciate what the women's movement has done for American women.  Below are some of the things that Saudi women cannot do:

1.  Go anywhere without a chaperone.  Women must be accompanied by a male guardian, known as a mahram whenever they leave their house.  The guardian is usually a male relative.

2.  Drive a car.

3.  Wear clothes or make-up that show off their beauty.  The dress code for women is governed by a strict interpretation of Islamic law and is enforced to varying degrees across the country.

4.  Interact with men.  Women are required to limit the amount of time spent with men they are not related to.  The majority of public buildings including offices, banks and universities have separate entrances for men and women.

5.  Go for a swim.

6.  Compete freely in sports.  When Saudi Arabia sent its female athletes to the London games for the first time, hardline clerics denounced the women as prostitutes.  While they were allowed to compete, they had to be accompanied by a male guardian and wear a "Sharia-compliant" sports kit that covered their hair.

7.  Try on clothes when shopping.  The mere thought of a disrobed woman behind a dressing room door is apparently too much for men to handle.

8.  Entering a cemetery.

9.  Reading an uncensored fashion magazine

10.  Buying a Barbie.

Depending on where one lives in Saudi Arabia, some restrictions have been loosened.  In big cities women can drive on a restrictive basis, and may also go certain places without a chaperone.  Things are still very restrictive for women, and even though women can now vote, it doesn't look like much will change soon.  Americans have freedoms that have been earned through years of hard work.  Change is slow, and it will likely be decades before Saudi women have the freedoms we enjoy.