Frauen ohne Grenzen | Women without borders

09. December 2009

"Bridging the Gap" in the UK

Presentation of the Research Study in London

On December 7th, 2009, Elaine Hargrove presented the findings of the groundbreaking Women without Borders research study “Bridging the Gap” at the Society Outreach conference entitled “Is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prepared to defend human rights, civil liberties, and to fight terrorism?” The debate, held in the House of Lords and chaired by Lord Ahmad, included several noted speakers: Michael Thomas, Director General of the Middle East Association; Prof. Madawi al-Rasheed, Professor of Anthropology of Religion at King’s College; Dr. Mai Yamani, a commentator of Muslim and Arab politics; Robert Lacey, noted author of Inside the Kingdom, and Daniel Kawczynski MP, office-holder in the all-party Saudi Arabia group.

Each panellist presented their views of and experiences with Saudi Arabia in regard to civil liberties, human rights, and the fight against terrorism. Both those panellists who disparaged Saudi Arabian human rights abuses and those who spoke highly of Saudi Arabia’s historical and cultural richness agreed, however, that Saudi Arabia is changing. This recognition formed the basis of the “Bridging the Gap” study, which sought to determine the hopes, dreams, and hurdles the young Saudi generation faces. Imperative to the discussion on the changing nature of the subjective Saudi experience, including the country’s level of preparation for defending basic human rights, is how the youth perceive these changes. The young generation’s positive evaluation of new developments inherently plays a key role in ensuring that human rights and civil liberties are secured and respected in the Kingdom, and that Saudi Arabia takes advantage of all available resources in the fight against terrorism.

Both the panellists and the audience members were very interested in the results of the study, which showed that over 60% of the respondents viewed the changing gender roles as a personal opportunity. The Saudi youth define themselves as cosmopolitan consumers, and both men and women look forward to balancing career and family obligations. Increasing male acceptance of women’s action and interaction in the public sphere mean that women are taking on a wider variety of jobs, and claiming the civil liberties that are accorded to them.

The “Bridging the Gap” study, which is the first of its kind to be conducted by foreign NGO and in this much depth, thus serves as the first step in understanding youth’s needs in a country thus far vastly unexplored by social scientists and suggests strategies for the inclusion of women—and men—in all aspects of public life.

Women without Borders would like to thank Dr. Suaad al Fitouri for organizing this event.

An executive summary of the “Bridging the Gap” study will be available shortly.